The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products
Abstract Background The stock dynamics of harvested wood products (HWPs) are a relevant component of anthropogenic carbon cycles. Generally, HWP stock increases are treated as carbon removals from the atmosphere, while stock decreases are considered emissions. Among the different approaches suggeste...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Carbon Balance and Management |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-021-00200-8 |
| _version_ | 1818459007583518720 |
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| author | Chihiro Kayo Gerald Kalt Yuko Tsunetsugu Seiji Hashimoto Hirotaka Komata Ryu Noda Hiroyasu Oka |
| author_facet | Chihiro Kayo Gerald Kalt Yuko Tsunetsugu Seiji Hashimoto Hirotaka Komata Ryu Noda Hiroyasu Oka |
| author_sort | Chihiro Kayo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The stock dynamics of harvested wood products (HWPs) are a relevant component of anthropogenic carbon cycles. Generally, HWP stock increases are treated as carbon removals from the atmosphere, while stock decreases are considered emissions. Among the different approaches suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for accounting HWPs in national greenhouse gas inventories, the production approach has been established as the common approach under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. However, the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change decided that alternative approaches can also be used. The IPCC has published guidelines for estimating HWP carbon stocks and default parameters for the various approaches in the 2006 Guidelines, 2013 Guidance, and 2019 Refinement. Although there are significant differences among the default methods in the three IPCC guidelines, no studies have systematically quantified or compared the results from the different guidelines on a global scale. This study quantifies the HWP stock dynamics and corresponding carbon removals/emissions under each approach based on the default methods presented in each guideline for 235 individual countries/regions. Results We identified relatively good consistency in carbon stocks/removals between the stock-change and the atmospheric flow approaches at a global level. Under both approaches, the methodological and parameter updates in the 2019 Refinement (e.g., considered HWPs, starting year for carbon stocks, and conversion factors) resulted in one-third reduction in carbon removals compared to the 2006 Guidelines. The production approach leads to a systematic underestimation of global carbon stocks and removals because it confines accounting to products derived from domestic harvests and uses the share of domestic feedstock for accounting. The 2013 Guidance and the 2019 Refinement reduce the estimated global carbon removals under the production approach by 15% and 45% (2018), respectively, compared to the 2006 Guidelines. Conclusions Gradual refinements in the IPCC default methods have a considerably higher impact on global estimates of HWP carbon stocks and removals than the differences in accounting approaches. The methodological improvements in the 2019 Refinement halve the global HWP carbon removals estimated in the former version, the 2006 Guidelines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:07:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03caf7f3e0df453aa6086e0cc235d095 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1750-0680 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T23:07:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Carbon Balance and Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-03caf7f3e0df453aa6086e0cc235d0952022-12-21T22:44:17ZengBMCCarbon Balance and Management1750-06802021-12-0116111310.1186/s13021-021-00200-8The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood productsChihiro Kayo0Gerald Kalt1Yuko Tsunetsugu2Seiji Hashimoto3Hirotaka Komata4Ryu Noda5Hiroyasu Oka6Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyInstitute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesGraduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of TokyoCollege of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan UniversityForest Research Department, Hokkaido Research OrganizationInstitute of Wood Technology, Akita Prefectural UniversityForestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural SciencesAbstract Background The stock dynamics of harvested wood products (HWPs) are a relevant component of anthropogenic carbon cycles. Generally, HWP stock increases are treated as carbon removals from the atmosphere, while stock decreases are considered emissions. Among the different approaches suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for accounting HWPs in national greenhouse gas inventories, the production approach has been established as the common approach under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. However, the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change decided that alternative approaches can also be used. The IPCC has published guidelines for estimating HWP carbon stocks and default parameters for the various approaches in the 2006 Guidelines, 2013 Guidance, and 2019 Refinement. Although there are significant differences among the default methods in the three IPCC guidelines, no studies have systematically quantified or compared the results from the different guidelines on a global scale. This study quantifies the HWP stock dynamics and corresponding carbon removals/emissions under each approach based on the default methods presented in each guideline for 235 individual countries/regions. Results We identified relatively good consistency in carbon stocks/removals between the stock-change and the atmospheric flow approaches at a global level. Under both approaches, the methodological and parameter updates in the 2019 Refinement (e.g., considered HWPs, starting year for carbon stocks, and conversion factors) resulted in one-third reduction in carbon removals compared to the 2006 Guidelines. The production approach leads to a systematic underestimation of global carbon stocks and removals because it confines accounting to products derived from domestic harvests and uses the share of domestic feedstock for accounting. The 2013 Guidance and the 2019 Refinement reduce the estimated global carbon removals under the production approach by 15% and 45% (2018), respectively, compared to the 2006 Guidelines. Conclusions Gradual refinements in the IPCC default methods have a considerably higher impact on global estimates of HWP carbon stocks and removals than the differences in accounting approaches. The methodological improvements in the 2019 Refinement halve the global HWP carbon removals estimated in the former version, the 2006 Guidelines.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-021-00200-8Harvested wood productsCarbon stocksCarbon removalsStock-change approachAtmospheric flow approachProduction approach |
| spellingShingle | Chihiro Kayo Gerald Kalt Yuko Tsunetsugu Seiji Hashimoto Hirotaka Komata Ryu Noda Hiroyasu Oka The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products Carbon Balance and Management Harvested wood products Carbon stocks Carbon removals Stock-change approach Atmospheric flow approach Production approach |
| title | The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| title_full | The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| title_fullStr | The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| title_full_unstemmed | The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| title_short | The default methods in the 2019 Refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| title_sort | default methods in the 2019 refinement drastically reduce estimates of global carbon sinks of harvested wood products |
| topic | Harvested wood products Carbon stocks Carbon removals Stock-change approach Atmospheric flow approach Production approach |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-021-00200-8 |
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