Carbon inventory

“Forests play a vital role in the global carbon cycle, storing roughly half of the world's terrestrial carbon (Millennium Ecosystem Asessment, 2005). When forests grow, they withdraw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in trees and soil. When they are destroyed or degraded, much of this carbon is released, either immediately if the trees are burned or more slowly if the organic matter decays naturally.” EarthTrends Update, April 2008.

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/carbon-inventory1

Sources: Atlas Environnement du Monde Diplomatique, 2007; Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Hadley climate research unit, 2007; World Resources Institute (WRI), EarthTrends Environmental Information Portal, 2008; World Resources Institute, Climate Analysis Indicators Tool, 2008.