Even though the balance between gains and losses had shifted, these #forests were still playing an important role in soaking up #CO2, #Karoly said. But their reduced capacity to absorb extra #carbon would make #emissions cuts “a lot harder” and require an even more rapid transition away from #FossilFuels.

The analysis drew on a unique set of #ForestData dating back to 1971, including records tracking roughly 11,000 #trees across 20 forest sites in #Queensland.

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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2024/dec/02/could-the-decline-of-fossil-fuels-be-australias-chance-to-become-into-a-clean-exports-giant

#Karoly , who was not involved in the #research said on a global scale the share of #CarbonDioxide absorbed by forests, trees, and plants had been quite stable over the past 20 to 30 years, which was assumed to continue under many #ClimateModels and policies.

But if similar shifts – from sink to source – were observed in other #rainforests, #ClimateProjections may underestimate #GlobalWarming in future. “Which is bad news,” he said.

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