Research from SFU scientists informs climate change mitigation report

SFU professors Kirsten Zickfeld and Karen Kohfeld are part of an expert panel contributing to a new report released this week investigating the potential contribution of nature-based climate solutions (NBCS) to meeting Canada's climate change mitigation commitments. Zickfeld, Kohfeld and other contributing researchers comprise the Expert Panel on Canada's Carbon Sink Potential from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). The CCA was tasked to produce the report for Environment and Climate Change Canada along with six other supporting federal departments and agencies. The Nature-Based Climate Solutions report arrives ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) where world leaders will convene in Montreal to develop a framework guiding actions to end biodiversity loss. What are Nature-Based Climate Solutions? Oceans, soil and forests are natural carbon sinks - they absorb and store a certain amount of carbon preventing it from escaping into the atmosphere and contributing to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and climate change. NBCS refers to the protection, management and restoration of ecosystems and how these actions can improve carbon sequestration or reduce GHG emissions. Research highlights Zickfeld is a distinguished professor of climate science at SFU geography and released a paper earlier this year finding that even temporary NBCS can have a tangible climate benefit.