China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality strategies face difficulties and challenges such as significant emission reduction, heavy transformation tasks, and tight time windows. How is the current progress of “dual carbon”? How can forestry make more contributions to achieving the “dual carbon” standard? At the recently held International Forum on Forest and Grass Carbon Sink Innovation, reporters interviewed relevant experts.
The main factors affecting the achievement of China’s “dual carbon” goals are a heavy industrial structure, a coal based energy structure, and low comprehensive efficiency. In addition, China has only reserved about 30 years to achieve carbon neutrality, which means that greater efforts must be taken to promote economic and social development and the comprehensive green and low-carbon transformation of energy.
Experts attending the meeting stated that using carbon peaking and carbon neutrality to drive China’s technological innovation and development transformation is an inherent requirement for high-quality economic and social development, an inevitable requirement for high-level protection of the ecological environment, and a historical opportunity to narrow the development gap with major developed countries. As the world’s largest developing country, the implementation of China’s “dual carbon” strategy will make a crucial contribution to protecting the Earth’s homeland.
“From both domestic and international perspectives, we need to maintain strategic focus on achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality.” Du Xiangwan, consultant of the National Committee of Climate Change Experts and academician of the CAE Member, said that the implementation of the “dual carbon” strategy is an initiative. By accelerating technological progress and transformation, we can achieve high-quality carbon peak and carbon neutrality on schedule.
“In 2020, China’s Proven reserves of forest and grass carbon sinks will be 88.586 billion tons. In 2021, China’s annual forest and grass carbon sinks will exceed 1.2 billion tons, ranking first in the world,” said Yin Weilun, an academician of the CAE Member. It is reported that there are two major pathways for carbon dioxide absorption in the world, one is terrestrial forests, and the other is marine organisms. A large number of algae in the ocean absorb carbon dioxide, which is then converted into shells and carbonates for storage in material circulation and energy metabolism. Forests on land can sequester carbon for a long time. Scientific research shows that for every cubic meter of growth, trees can absorb an average of 1.83 tons of carbon dioxide.
Forests have a strong carbon storage function, and wood itself, whether it is cellulose or lignin, is formed by the accumulation of carbon dioxide. The entire wood is a product of carbon dioxide accumulation. Wood can be stored for hundreds, thousands, or even billions of years. The coal mined today is transformed from billions of years of forest preparation and is a true carbon sink. Today, China’s forestry function is not only focused on timber production, but also on providing ecological products, absorbing carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, conserving water sources, maintaining soil and water, and purifying the atmosphere.
Post time: Jun-13-2023