What happens if trees stop absorbing CO2?

Researchers found that trees are struggling to absorb CO ₂ , leading to soaring emissions.

Trees play a vital role in absorbing CO2 _and providing oxygen for life. However, a new study warns that record-breaking greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 could be a sign that nature's carbon removal system is failing.

Wildfires ravage Stanislaus National Forest in California, USA on July 22. (Photo: AFP).

Remarkably, in some areas, trees can "release" CO2 back into the environment in a process called photorespiration _.

Temperature is considered a major factor negatively affecting the carbon sequestration capacity of trees and terrestrial ecosystems.

According to the Guardian, land and ocean processes have historically absorbed about half of man-made _CO2 emissions . However, if this efficiency is not maintained, it will be a worrying problem.

'Nature has so far balanced our abuse ,' said Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. 'But that is about to end.'

Has nature no longer been able to balance our abuse? (Illustration: UWL).

The expert points out that current climate models do not take into account the collapse of the "carbon sink" system. This is the reason why global warming is still happening faster than predicted.

In the study, Tsinghua University ecologist Piyu Ke and colleagues found that terrestrial 'sinks' even temporarily stopped absorbing carbon at one point in 2023.

Not only is there a problem with absorbing CO2 _, vegetation is also rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, natural disasters, forest fires. All problems are partly human responsibility, and will leave long-term consequences.

The team found that while CO2 emissions _increased by only about 0.6% compared to the previous year, the growth detected in the atmosphere above Mauna Loa was up to 86% higher than in 2022.

The results are alarming, as temperatures are expected to remain very high in 2024. They warn that if this continues, the Earth will lose balance in its essential cycle, and we will gradually enter an irreversible phase.

Previously, studies have also shown that the ocean's ability to absorb CO2 _has been severely reduced over many years, due to rising temperatures.