By Abbas Nazil
A new global study has revealed that not all forest-based carbon credit projects are effectively cooling the planet, and some may even be contributing to global warming.
Researchers from Oregon State University, Clark University, and The Nature Conservancy found that about 10 percent of forestation projects designed to offset carbon emissions actually result in a net warming effect when the albedo factor, the ability of a surface to reflect sunlight, is considered.
Carbon credits are meant to represent the removal of one metric ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
However, the study analyzed 172 afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation projects across five continents and discovered that when sunlight reflectivity was accounted for, 12 percent of the projects lost their entire climate benefit, while 18 percent had their effectiveness reduced.
The issue arises because planting dark-colored forests in bright, reflective areas such as grasslands or snowy regions can trap more heat, offsetting the carbon absorption benefit.
Lynn Riley of the American Forest Foundation explained that existing carbon credit protocols mainly focus on greenhouse gas removal while overlooking other climate factors like heat absorption.
Despite this, most projects studied had relatively small albedo impacts, and some in tropical regions even provided additional cooling benefits.
Researchers emphasized that the findings do not undermine the entire carbon credit system but call for improved evaluation standards that incorporate albedo and other non-carbon effects.
Accurate measurement could ensure funding flows to the most impactful projects and enhance global climate mitigation efforts.
