C2GDiscuss: Exploring the role of trees in large-scale carbon dioxide removal

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is required in all pathways to keep global warming under 1.5°C.  A range of approaches to CDR are under consideration, including technological or biological approaches, with the latter being increasingly referred to as "nature-based solutions."

Afforestation and reforestation, together with other nature-based approaches to CDR, have been gaining international attraction because of their huge potential to remove carbon from atmosphere but also due to the other prospective environmental and social benefits they could bring. However, there are concerns raised around "moral hazard," competition for resources, permanence of sequestration, and other potential risks of deployment of large-scale afforestation and reforestation, which pose governance challenges.

How do we address these challenges and make decisions that maximize synergies and co-benefits and minimize tradeoffs? What can we learn from previous large-scale afforestation and reforestation initiatives?

To explore these questions, C2G brought together a diverse group of policy, intergovernmental, independent research organization, NGO, and academic experts for a "C2GDiscuss" podcast on July 20, 2020.

Featuring:

• Li Fang, chief representative, World Resources Institute Beijing Representative Office, China
• Martin Frick, deputy to the special envoy, UN Food Systems Summit 2021
• Thelma Krug, senior researcher (retired) at National Institute for Space Research, Brazil and vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Kelsey Perlman (speaking on behalf of CAN International), forest and climate campaigner, Fern
• Artur Runge-Metzger, director for climate strategy, governance, and emissions from non-trading sectors, DG CLIMA, European Commission
• Janos Pasztor, executive director, C2G (Moderator)

For more, please go to C2G's website.