Socio-Economic Impacts of Carbon Sequestration on Livelihoods and Future Climate

Dear colleagues,

In the modern era, carbon sequestration represents a long-lasting solution for the mitigation and management of CO₂ emissions. However, claims of net carbon reduction and its impact on socioeconomic development are, as yet, unverified and comprise hotspots for present research. Socioeconomic factors, such as population, economic growth, demography, land use changes, lifestyle changes, and environmental policies, are the key driving forces underlying medium- to long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These influencing factors pose a challenge with regard to their mitigation and imply further costs toward meeting a stringent climate goal like the 1.5 °C climate target.

The concentration of atmospheric CO₂ has accelerated upward during the last few decades at an annual rate of 1.91 ppm due to various anthropogenic activities, leading to an increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration from 317 ppm in 1958 to 413 ppm in 2020. Forests are important for the global carbon cycle because they sequester carbon from the atmosphere while also emitting carbon, resulting in the loss of biomass. Precise information on forest carbon stocks is important in understanding the offsetting capabilities of forests. The precise estimation of forest carbon is also required for understanding the role of the forest in mitigating actions as well as to evaluate the role of forests through their ecosystem services. Forest carbon estimates are also required to evaluate forest degradation since anthropogenic extractions from forests result in the degradation of forests. By contrast, precise estimates of carbon in specific forests are largely not available due to the lack of resources and experts across the globe.

Agricultural practices promoting “soil health” are argued as being effective for soil carbon sequestration, while soil scientists and environmentalists broadly dismiss their likelihood of success in proving net carbon reductions of GHGs in the atmosphere. Moreover, they also have the potential to safeguard human health from climate change impacts. The literature reveals that very little study has been carried out on carbon sequestration and its medium-/long-term impact on socioeconomic management. Although filling these gaps in research is vital for sustainable environmental management, state-of-the-art studies combining soil sciences and changing land use and land cover (LULC) patterns and their impact on socioeconomics are missing.

This Special Issue explores soil carbon sequestration, the impact of deforestation on climate change, vulnerability risk for climate and ecological life, socioeconomic impacts, and strategies for the mitigation of future climatic impacts. The theme of the Special Issue extends across terrestrial ecosystems, environmental policy domains (e.g., REDD+ and the Paris Agreement), environmental applications (e.g., urbanization, agroforestry, and intensive LULC changes), and carbon credit generated worldwide (both voluntary and through compliance). This Special Issue is highly useful for environmentalists, water resource planners and managers, and policymakers in understanding the potential of carbon sequestration on a regional and global scale and, further, the medium-/long-term impacts on socioeconomic development resulting from its implementation via climate change modeling.

Dr. Marina Cabral Pinto
Dr. Amit Kumar
Dr. Munesh Kumar
Guest Editors

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