"Africa now emits as much carbon as it stores: landmark new study"

" \r\n Africa now emits as much carbon as it stores: landmark new\u00a0study \r\n A\u00a0 landmark new study \u00a0has found that, in the last decade, the African continent has started emitting more carbon than it stores. When the total amount of carbon that is sequestered by natural ecosystems (such as the soil and plants in grasslands, savannas and forests) exceeds the amount of total carbon emissions within a system, it\u2019s referred to as a net sink of carbon. But, the study found, as natural ecosystems are converted for agricultural purposes, the carbon storage capacity is decreasing \u2013 while the rate of emissions is increasing. \r\n\r\n Yolandi Ernst of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa led the international research team that calculated the flows of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide through Africa\u2019s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. She and one of the study co-authors, Sally Archibald \u2013 also from Wits and the lead of the\u00a0 Future Ecosystems for Africa Programme \u00a0\u2013 unpacked their findings for The Conversation Africa. \r\n\r\n What did you set out to calculate, how did you do it, and why? \r\n\r\nWe wanted to know both the amount of greenhouse gases being produced by the African continent and the amount being taken up. This helped us to develop a greenhouse gas budget, quantifying the net amount of outgoing and incoming greenhouse gases. In this way we\u2019re better able to understand how the continent is contributing to global climate change (by releasing greenhouse gases) and how, through taking up greenhouse gases, it\u2019s helping to mitigate global climate change.\r\n\r\n This study \u00a0formed part of a global effort by the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes Phase 2 ( RECCAP2 ) project. It aims to establish improved greenhouse gas budgets for large regions covering the entire globe at the scale of continents (or large countries) and large ocean basins.\r\n\r\nWe collated data from a variety of sources and created models to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (collectively called greenhouse gases) being released into the atmosphere from several different sources. Some are human sources, like agriculture and fossil fuel emissions. Other sources, like\u00a0 wildfires \u00a0and\u00a0 termites , are natural.\r\n\r\nThen we calculated the amount of carbon that\u2019s drawn down from the atmosphere and stored in what are called carbon sinks: the soils and plants in grassland, savanna and forest ecosystems.\r\n\r\nThe net budget estimate was the result of adding all the sources and sinks, just like balancing a household budget, where you don\u2019t want to be spending more than you are earning.\r\n\r\nThis information is crucial for policy making. If scientists, land managers and NGOs know which activities produce the most greenhouse gases they can work with governments and policymakers to minimise this. And knowing which parts of Africa best help to store carbon means funding and policy efforts can be directed to protecting and increasing this carbon \u201cland sink\u201d.\r\n\r\n What are the biggest sources of carbon emissions on the African continent? \r\n\r\nIt\u2019s important to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural emissions here. Fossil fuel burning and agriculture are the biggest sources of carbon emissions; both are anthropogenic (caused by humans). Other emissions are part of the ecosystem functioning but they can also be affected by human activities. Examples include fire, methane emissions from herbivores, and inland and coastal water bodies. These all represent quite large emissions, but they\u2019re only somewhat affected by human activities.\r\n\r\nIn Africa\u2019s case, our budget shows that when people transform natural landscapes for agricultural and other purposes, the emissions from fire decrease, but emissions from herbivores increase.\r\n\r\nThere are also some important natural processes that draw carbon and greenhouse gases back into the land surface. These include the growth of vegetation and soil carbon storage, as well as weathering of rocks (which turns atmospheric CO\u2082 into carbonate minerals), and burial of carbon in the ocean.\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0 previous African carbon budget \u00a0(1985-2009) showed the processes drawing carbon\u00a0 into \u00a0Africa were higher than the natural emissions and the anthropogenic emissions. The continent was a carbon sink even though it emitted some anthropogenic greenhouse gases: Africa was providing a climate service to the globe.\r\n\r\nGlobally the\u00a0 anthropogenic emissions of CO\u2082 are 11.21 gigatons of carbon per year (GtC\/yr) , but the land takes up about 3.5 GtC\/year, so it is helping to slow the growth rate. The\u00a0 African land sink is about 0.8 GtC , representing about 20% of the world\u2019s total land sink.\r\n\r\nNow, although the sink capacity hasn\u2019t decreased \u2013 Africa is still taking up just as many greenhouse gases as it did in the past \u2013 the amount of anthropogenic sources has increased so much that the net effect is to be releasing greenhouse gases. In short, the continent has become as much of a carbon source as it is a carbon sink over the study period (2010-2019).\r\n\r\n What can be done to reverse the trend you\u2019ve identified? \r\n\r\nFinding ways for Africa to develop in a way that is carbon neutral is a big challenge. Investment in carbon-neutral energy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels would be a start.\r\n\r\nBut this has never been done \u2013 all developed countries have grown their economies on the back of massive fossil fuel use. If African countries are to become carbon-neutral and also grow their economies, global support and funding will be required.\r\n\r\nHowever, fossil fuels are only part of the problem in Africa as less than half the continent\u2019s greenhouse gases currently come from fossil fuels; land use change and agricultural expansion are the leading cause of its emissions. There are\u00a0 many innovative approaches to producing food in ways that emit fewer greenhouse gases \u2013 again, the challenge is to find ways to roll these out at scale\r\n\r\nProtecting, managing and restoring the landscapes that are helping to take up the excess carbon dioxide can also help a lot. But there are challenges here, too. Making carbon storage the main goal of conservation\u00a0 can conflict \u00a0with\u00a0 biodiversity \u00a0and water provision.\r\n\r\nMixed cattle-wildlife systems and novel livestock management methods\u00a0 show promise \u00a0for reducing climate impacts and improving landscape functioning.\r\n\r\n "

"Africa now emits as much carbon as it stores: landmark new study"

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