🌡️ Forest Carbon
The world's forests are one of humanity's most powerful natural allies in addressing climate change — and one of the most actively undermined. Forests store approximately 861 billion tonnes of carbon in their biomass, deadwood, litter, and soil — more than double the amount currently in the atmosphere. When forests are cleared, this stored carbon is released, making deforestation one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Conversely, protecting and restoring forests is one of the most cost-effective climate solutions available.
carbon stored in world's forests
of global emissions from deforestation
CO₂ absorbed by forests annually
of climate solution from forests
Trees capture carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis — converting CO₂ and water into glucose and oxygen. The carbon is incorporated into the tree's wood, roots, and leaves, and into the soil through decomposing organic matter. Tropical forests are particularly carbon-dense: a hectare of intact Amazon rainforest stores approximately 150-200 tonnes of carbon in above-ground biomass alone, with additional carbon in roots and soil. When a forest is cleared and burned, this stored carbon is released to the atmosphere as CO₂ within weeks — reversing what took decades or centuries to accumulate.
The international climate community has developed a mechanism called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) to compensate tropical forest countries for protecting their forests rather than clearing them. Under REDD+, countries or landowners receive carbon credits for demonstrable reductions in deforestation rates relative to a baseline. These credits can be sold to companies seeking to offset their emissions. The mechanism has been controversial — raising questions about measurement accuracy, additionality (would the forest have been protected anyway?), and the permanence of carbon storage — but represents the most systematic attempt to make forest conservation economically competitive with forest destruction.
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Dr. Carvalho has spent 14 years studying tropical forest dynamics, deforestation drivers, and conservation policy across the Amazon basin and Southeast Asia. She draws on data from Global Forest Watch, FAO, and the IPCC to make forest science accessible to global audiences.