Abstract
Kirschbaum (Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Change 11:1151–1164, 2006) explores the climatic impact over time of temporarily sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. He concludes that temporary storage of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere “achieves effectively no climate-change mitigation”. His strongly worded statement begs for a response. This paper argues that Kirschbaum’s conclusion is an artifact of the specific perspective of his analysis and his choice of a definition for climate-change impact. Even temporary sinks put us on a lower path for climate change, a path that will not otherwise be accessible. For carbon sinks in the terrestrial biosphere, we argue that sooner is better and longer is better, but even known temporary sinks have value.
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Notes
For illustration, to average 10% with 20% may yield an average of 15%, but if it is 10% of 50 and 20% of 150, to what does the 15% refer? Alternatively, if one gains 10% in height and 20% in weight, what does the numerical average 15% imply?
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Dornburg, V., Marland, G. Temporary storage of carbon in the biosphere does have value for climate change mitigation: a response to the paper by Miko Kirschbaum. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 13, 211–217 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-007-9113-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-007-9113-6