Wildfires, rising temperatures imperil northern hemisphere forests: UN

Record wildfires and rising temperatures are threatening decades of forest growth in the northern hemisphere, potentially turning vital carbon sinks into carbon emitters, a new UN report said on Wednesday.

The report by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), released ahead of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, found that forests in Europe, North America, the Caucasus and Central Asia are slowing in their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

If current trends continue, these forests could reach a tipping point where they begin releasing more carbon than they absorb, it warned.

This would undermine efforts to meet the Paris Agreement target of lowering emissions to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as these forests currently offset a major portion of human-produced CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation.

Forests in the northern hemisphere hold about half of the world's carbon storage.

ARCTIC BOREAL FORESTS VULNERABLE

"The message is clear: What we have achieved over the last three decades is now at serious risk from the climate emergency," UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean said.

The report highlights the vulnerability of the Arctic boreal forests, which contain nearly half of the world's primary, old-growth woodland and store large amounts of carbon. These forests face growing threats from rising temperatures and wildfires.

The northern hemisphere accounts for over 42% of the world's forests and nearly half of its primary woodland but is increasingly exposed to fire, pests and drought, according to the report.

Such factors have led to Europe's forests absorbing nearly one-third less CO2 annually in 2020-22 compared to 2010-14, a study led by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre found.

"We cannot afford to lose the planet's most powerful natural defense," Molcean said. "The rising tide of wildfires and drought is pushing our forests past a critical tipping point." At COP30, Brazil is set to launch the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) to provide funding to countries that commit to preserving their forests.