Mitigation Strategies that enhance carbon sinks

Question 1

Why are carbon sinks important?

Answer 1

More than 50% of emitted carbon dioxide is reabsorbed by our forests and oceans, which reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Question 2

What are carbon sinks?

Answer 2

• Forests that absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
• Oceans that absorb carbon dioxide through plankton, coral, fish and algae.

Question 3

Mitigation strategies that enhance carbon sinks.

Answer 3

• Protection of oceans forests through managing land use change.
• Protection of forests through forest regeneration.

Question 4

Why should we protect oceans and forest through managing land use?

Answer 4

Land use change accounts for about 10% of gloval emissions. Including:
* Carbon Dioxide emitted during deforestation
* Methane emitted by rearing livestock and cultivating rice

Question 5

Effects of Deforestation

Answer 5

Deforestation leads to:
* Increased concn of greenhouse gases as < trees to absorb CO2
* Soil erosion as soil particles are no longer anchored by the roots of trees. The loose soil may enter water bodies and suffocate corals and aquatic plants.

Question 6

How to reduce deforestation?

Answer 6

• Encourage consumers to only buy wood that is certified as sustainable.
• Banning illegal deforestation through stricter laws.

Question 7

Why should we restore mangroves?

Answer 7

Mangroves are important coastal ecosystems due to their ability to:
* Absorb and store greenhouse gases in their soils up to four times as much as other tropical forests.
* Filters pollutants in rivers and prevent them from reaching the oceans and harming corals and aquatic species.

Question 8

How to restore mangroves?

Answer 8

• Plant mangrove seedlings along coastal areas.
• Creating the optimal conditions for mangroves to grow (e.g. reducing water pollution)
• Correcting the problems. (e.g. limiting the celaring of mangrove trees by local communities) that caused the mangrove loss in the first place.

Question 9

Limitations of changing land-use

Answer 9

• Economic

Question 10

Economic Limitations of changing land-use.

Answer 10

It is difficult to reduce deforestation in growing economies due to competing land use for industries, agriculture and urban spaces.

Question 11

Examples of Economic Limitations of changing land-use.

Answer 11

• Indonesia has lost more than 100,000 hectares of forest cover in 2020.
• Despite tightening government regulations, Indonesia’s forestas are still being cleared for palm oil, logging and mining.
• Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of palm oil, valued at more than $18 billion, providing more than 3 million jobs.

Question 12

What is the protection of forests through forest regeneration?

Answer 12

As trees gorw, they absorb and store carbon dioxide.
Forest regeneration can be achieved through:
* Afforestation: Planting trees in a new area that previously did not have trees.
* Reforestation: Re-planting trees in an area that had trees in the past.
* Agroforestry should be encouraged as it allows for different species of trees to be grown effectively on the piece of land.

Question 13

Limitations of forest regeneration.

Answer 13

• Social
• Technological

Question 14

Social limitations of forest regeneration.

Answer 14

Large scale afforestation can create competition for land. A limited land supply for agriculture may lead to increase in food prices, threatening food security.

Question 15

Examples Social limitations of forest regeneration.

Answer 15

It is estimated that afforestation may conrtivute to an increase in food prices by 80% in 2050/

Question 16

Technological limitations of forest regeneration.

Answer 16

It is estimated that a large-scale tree planting programme could take 50-100 years to have its full effect of removing 200 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.