Robust projections of increasing land carbon storage in boreal and temperate forests under future climate change scenarios

SCIENCE FOR SOCIETY Anthropogenic carbon emissions have caused a concerning rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. If current CO2 levels continue to increase, irreversible climate change will threaten human society. Besides emission cuts, preserving the existing natural CO2 reservoirs is equally important. The terrestrial ecosystem stores over three times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and removes -30% of anthropogenic carbon emissions each year. However, the vast carbon stores in the terrestrial ecosystem might also turn into carbon emission sources, accelerating the climate change rate. Thus, assessing whether and where terrestrial ecosystems could persistently sequester CO2 under a changing climate is crucial. In this study, we observed continuous carbon increases in boreal and temperate forests under three climate change scenarios. Meanwhile, about 60% of the land surface showed uncertain future carbon changes, highlighting the need to preserve these delicate ecosystems.