What do 𝑛𝑒𝑡 CO₂ emissions from land-use change do in 1.5°C scenarios?

On a net basis, CO₂ emissions reach net zero around 2030. But, this is all net, so is that reduction because of reduced deforestation or increased afforestation?

1/
Of the 53 1.5°C scenarios with no or low overshoot, 27 of them report afforestation.

It is unclear if the 'afforestation' variable is defined consistently with the LUC emissions, but if we assume it is then we can therefore define the difference as 'deforestation'.

2/
All scenarios have reduced deforestation, but do not drop to zero (median in 2100 is 0.5GtCO₂/yr). The negative values from C-ROADS are likely a reporting error.

Afforestation has a median of 4GtCO₂/yr, but clearly afforestation is defined differently in models (see 2010).

3/
Here are the 27 scenarios with afforestation separated, & deforestation back calculated. There are quite some different dynamics, depending on the model.

4/
Overall, the scenarios that have afforestation reported have lower net CO₂ emissions from LUC, suggesting that the afforestation values may not be representative of all models. However, removing REMIND & POLES brings the medians together (in different time periods).

5/
I am not sure if it is consistent to separate afforestation & deforestation this way using the SR15 database, it is quite difficult to understand if the reported variables can be treated that way, @daniel_huppmann?

6/
Afforestation has one of the biggest potentials for Carbon Dioxide Removal, but we don't have much good information on it!

7/7

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More from @Peters_Glen

22 Nov
Did you raise an eyebrow when you heard confident projections during #COP26 of global warming in 2100 if we follow current policies (~2.6°C)?

Surely, surely, there must be more uncertainty?

Well, yes, we coincidentally have a new paper on that!

nature.com/articles/s4155…

1/🧵
A bit of background...

Some of us have been arguing there should be much more focus on scenarios that consider "where we are heading" with current policies or pledges.

This is harder to model then 'no climate policy' baselines, but it is essential!

nature.com/articles/d4158…

2/
These current policy or NDC projections have been a mainstay of the @UNEP Emissions Gap Report & @climateactiontr.

These approaches have been based on statistical matching with existing scenario databases.

We wanted to used models to extend 2030 policies & pledges to 2100.

3/
Read 12 tweets
15 Nov
Of the top-6 largest aggregated emitters globally, India is the only one with per capita emissions below the global average.

What about coal, oil, gas per capita?

robbieandrew.github.io/GCB2021/index.…

1/
The US & EU have had large drops in coal CO₂ emissions per capita over the last decades. They have stable energy use & aging coal infrastructure, so new energy sources displace coal.

India is still growing from very low energy per person, & has a young coal fleet.

2/
Oil CO₂ emissions per capita are very low in developing countries, particularly India. The US & EU are struggling to reduce oil use.

3/
Read 7 tweets
8 Nov
We have a crisis in 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 emissions data...

The core problem is that many developing countries do not have the capacity or incentive to report regular & accurate data.

washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…

1/
This is an impressive job done by the Washington post. I would not have thought of using the UNFCCC data, but it was a great idea...

@chriscmooney, @eilperin, @desmondbutler, @JohnMuyskens, @anu_narayan, @NaemaAhmed

Method here:
washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro…

2/
The UNFCCC data in developed countries is pretty good, & perhaps even the gold standard. But we still need independent checks.

I would not even think of using UNFCCC data for developing countries, as it is incomplete, & buried deep within pdfs. Manual data entry required.

3/
Read 11 tweets
5 Nov
You may have heard that after revisions to land-use change emissions, total global CO₂ emissions are approximately flat over the last decade (black line).

But, how much do we revise carbon budget components each year?

Let's have a look...

1/ Image
Fossil CO₂ emissions are revised each year, particularly the last decades. We update data & improve methods. Chinese data has had major revisions & cement was completely revised in 2018, plus lots of smaller improvements.

More details: zenodo.org/record/5569235

2/ Image
Land-use change (LUC) emissions are much more uncertain:
* 2014-2015: one bookkeeping model used
* 2016-2019: two bookkeeping models used
* 2020-2021: three bookkeeping models used
* 2021: major update of land-use forcing (change) datasets

Uncertainty remains high! Beware!

3/ Image
Read 10 tweets
4 Nov
GLOBAL CARBON BUDGET 2021 🧵

After dropping 5.4% in 2020, global fossil CO₂ emissions are expected to increase 4.9% [4.1-5.7%] in 2021, finishing just 0.8% below 2019 emission levels.

globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/i…

1/
Coal & gas are now back above their pre-pandemic (2019) levels, while oil remains suppressed.

Assuming oil returns to 2019 levels in the next year or two, a drop in coal use is required to avoid further emissions growth.

2/
China grew in 2020 & especially 2021, now with solid growth since 2016.

Other major countries had a rebound which puts them back on their decade trends.

The recovery is also uneven across smaller countries (all others).

3/
Read 12 tweets
2 Nov
"Everyone wants to keep the dream of 1.5°C alive. In every practical sense you are kidding yourself if you think that we are remotely heading towards 1.5°C"

So why the optimism? #COP26

businessgreen.com/feature/403897…

1/
The world has made progress from where we were 10 years ago (2010), but on the “current policy scenario” emissions will continue to rise.

According to UNEP EGR, emissions will remain flattish to 2030, if governments implement the necessary policies.

unep.org/resources/emis…

2/
The UNFCCC Synthesis Report says NDCs will lead to a 5% rise in emissions from 2019 to 2030. This is 16% above 2010 levels, as opposed to ~50% below as required for <1.5C.
unfccc.int/news/updated-n…

3/
Read 7 tweets

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