Carbon Info Zone

Carbon is the fundamental atom of life on Earth and one of the most abundant elements in the Universe (symbol C, atomic number 6).

All organic matter is composed of carbon. It forms the basis of the structure of all organic molecules, from apple sugar to our DNA. It is also found in high concentrations in fossil fuels that take millennia to form through the decomposition of plants and other organisms, primarily in marine environments.

Carbon itself is not bad for the environment, because it is a natural element essential to life. However, some forms of carbon, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emissions, negatively impact the environment when present in excessive quantities. Here’s how this happens:

•  CO₂ emissions: Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas (GHG), meaning that it has the ability to increase the temperature of the atmosphere by trapping the sun’s rays. When this gas is released in large quantities, mainly by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) to produce energy, it accumulates in the atmosphere. This increases the greenhouse effect, trapping heat and contributing to global warming.

•  Deforestation and loss of carbon sinks: Forests, wetlands and oceans act as “carbon sinks,” meaning they absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere, particularly through the accumulation of organic matter in these environments. Deforestation and forest degradation, as well as wetland destruction, reduce the ability of natural ecosystems to absorb carbon, exacerbating the emissions problem.

•  Methane (CH₄): Methane is another very powerful greenhouse gas. Although it is present in smaller quantities than CO₂, it is much more effective at trapping heat. It is released by activities such as intensive livestock farming (particularly ruminants such as cows) and the exploitation of fossil fuels. In short, it is the excess carbon in the form of CO₂ and CH₄ in the atmosphere linked to human activities that is problematic for the environment, especially with regard to climate change as it increases the greenhouse effect.

The carbon cycle is a natural phenomenon in which carbon circulates in a loop, passing through the atmosphere where it is captured by living organisms through photosynthesis, and then stored in different pools above or below the surface of the soil and oceans. These carbon stocks end up gradually returning to the atmosphere as they are broken down by micro-organisms.

Forests, peatlands, wetlands and oceans can capture, store and release carbon. Once in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases like CO₂ warm the climate by trapping the sun’s rays like a greenhouse. Without them, the temperature on Earth would be -18 degrees Celsius. At the other end of the scale, excessive GHGs could result in Venus-like temperatures of 400 degrees Celsius!

References :

• https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle
• https://ressources-naturelles.canada.ca/changements-climatiques/changements-climatiques/carbone-forestier/13086

Sequestration is the active process by which CO₂ is captured and removed from the atmosphere, while storage is the long-term retention of this captured CO₂ in a pool, preventing its return to the atmosphere for a certain period of time.

Sequestration is therefore an initial step in the overall carbon management process, while storage is the final step. For example, forests actively sequester carbon through photosynthesis, and this carbon is stored in the ecosystem over the long term, mainly in soils and partly in trees.

Do not confuse sequestration with carbon capture processes that are advanced by some industries that seek to capture their emissions when released into the atmosphere and reinject them underground. This highly expensive technology, which is still unproven in Canada, in no way measures up to nature’s “technology” that captures millions of tonnes of GHGs annually for free.

Carbon-rich natural environments are ecosystems that, for hundreds of years, have accumulated carbon in vegetation and mainly in their soils at levels above 200 tonnes of carbon per hectare. The main carbon-rich ecosystems are wetlands and old-growth forests, which have stored a large amount of carbon over time through a long process of organic matter accumulation with very little decomposition. When trees in an ancient forest die, it takes decades for their trunks to break down, releasing far less CO₂ into the atmosphere annually than a forest harvested by the forestry industry.

In the case of wetlands, the presence of water reduces the amount of oxygen available to decomposers, allowing organic matter to accumulate faster than in dry environments.

Reference: Luyssaert, S., Schulze, ED., Börner, A. et al. Old-growth forests as global carbon sinks. Nature 455, 213–215 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07276

A wetland is an area where the soil is temporarily or permanently covered with water. These environments have unique characteristics, with flora and fauna that has adapted to wet ground. There are several types of wetlands: marshes, peatlands, swamps, etc. Although they cover only 11% of Quebec’s territory, they contain more than 60% of the province’s total carbon. The most carbon-dense wetlands are the peatlands of our boreal forest. The level of carbon density in their soil is 9 times higher compared to forest soil.

Reference:  Garneau, M., & Van Bellen, S. (2016). Synthèse de la valeur et la répartition du stock de carbone terrestre au Québec. Rapport final présenté au Ministère du Développement durable, Environnement et Lutte contre les changements climatiques du Québec.

An old-growth forest is a wooded area that contains a significant concentration of trees over 100 years old, while also comprising young trees that ensure regeneration as the old trees die off. Older trees have the advantage of having accumulated large amounts of carbon over the decades and being able to rely on their soil as a kind of carbon vault. As for young trees that gradually replace dead wood, they help maintain the forest’s ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Another key element of old-growth forests are dead trees. These serve as vital habitats for many species and as food sources for many insects and decomposers.

Another important feature is the increased presence of dead wood, which is crucial for the survival of many species that use the wood’s cavities as shelters and safe places for their reproduction. This dead wood is also very beneficial from a climate perspective. The carbon it contains is decomposed very slowly, gradually releasing small doses of CO₂ into the atmosphere, unlike tree debris that ends up on the ground after logging, releasing large amounts of carbon quickly.

In terms of forests, logging and road construction are the main threats to our old-growth forests. Although they capture millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, our forests are harvested at a rate of more than 1,000 football fields a day in Quebec. Each logging operation releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere that the new forest will take decades to recapture.

While logging is a threat to our wetlands, the main threats to them in Quebec come in the form of are mining, urban sprawl, agricultural activities and pollution. The dewatering or destruction of wetlands speeds up the decomposition of organic matter thereby releasing more carbon into the atmosphere.

Finally, natural disturbances, such as fires and insect outbreaks, also affect carbon-rich environments. It is worth noting that global warming from human activity increases the frequency of these natural phenomena. Global warming is also more pronounced in the Northern Hemisphere, which is warming much faster than elsewhere.

Reference:  Base de données nationale sur les forêts. Section “données” et “récoltes”.  http://nfdp.ccfm.org/fr/data/harvest.php

Several factors currently contribute to the continued pressure on carbon-rich ecosystems, such as:

• Demand for wood and minerals are pushing industrial activities deeper and deeper into natural environments.
• Urban sprawl, the expansion of agricultural areas and the increase in consumption of goods often result in the loss of natural environments in urban and peri-urban areas.
• Trees with larger carbon reserves tend to be bigger, allowing the forestry industry to produce more wood.
• Currently, the real climate footprint of the forestry industry is not accounted for in national GHG inventories, creating a situation where practices harmful to forest carbon stocks are not penalized.
• A lack of field data on carbon-rich sites.

While technology can be beneficial in many areas, its use increases resource extraction and material consumption, thus putting pressure on ecosystems, not to mention the high costs involved. In fact, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) now recognizes that technological innovation is an underlying cause of biodiversity loss.

By contrast, natural climate solutions can provide 37% of the global climate effort needed by 2030 to have more than a 66% chance of keeping warming below 2°C.

References:

• Basilieri et al. 2023. Assessing the relative costs of high-CCS and low-CCS pathways to 1.5 degrees. https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-12/Assessing-the-relative-costs-of-high-CCS-and-low-CCS-pathways-to-1-5-degrees.pdf 
•  Nature-Based Climate Solutions: Expert Panel on Canada’s Carbon Sink Potential. https://cca-reports.ca/reports/canadas-carbon-sink-potential/

Globally, burning fossil fuels has released more than 10 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, mainly in the form of CO₂. Between 2014 and 2023, the world’s forests sequestered nearly one third of all anthropogenic emissions, equating to more than 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon on average each year. Natural environments therefore play an important role in offsetting our global emissions. However, the ability of our forests and wetlands to absorb our GHG emissions is diminishing as we destroy natural environments at an accelerated rate, which is releasing significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

We have long regarded forests as carbon sinks, and they continue to be carbon sinks globally. However, in Canada, the boreal forest has recently been transitioning from a sink to a source of carbon due to increased logging and natural disturbances (forest fires, insect outbreaks, etc.). This means that the boreal forest is now releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than it captures.

In addition, it is estimated that the global forestry industry will increase its wood production by 54% over the next 25 years compared to 2010 levels, which is three times as many emissions as the aviation sector. If we do not step up our efforts to protect our natural environments, we risk losing our best tools to fight climate change.

Lastly, protecting wetlands, such as peatlands, would prevent the equivalent of the CO₂ emissions from more than 2 million cars on Canadian roads every year. However, between 2017 and 2023, the equivalent area of more than 4,000 football fields of wetland and water environments were destroyed under the Quebec government’s authorization.

References: 

•  Friedlingstein, P et al. 2024. Global Carbon Budget 2024, Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-519, in review.
•  Bradshaw, Corey J.A. et al.(2009). Urgent preservation of boreal carbon stocks and biodiversity, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 24, Issue 10, 2009, Pages 541-548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.019
•  Peng, L., Searchinger, T.D., Zionts, J. et al. The carbon costs of global wood harvests. Nature 620, 110–115 (2023)
•  C. Ronnie Drever et al.,Natural climate solutions for Canada.Sci. Adv.7,eabd6034(2021).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abd6034
•  Milieux humides: Les destructions illégales se multiplient. La Presse. 2023. https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/environnement/2023-09-28/milieux-humides/les-destructions-illegales-se-multiplient.php

In Quebec, the right to emit greenhouse gas emissions is governed by a Cap-and-Trade System for greenhouse gas emissions (SPEDE), used in conjunction with California. Its main objective is to cap the emissions of big industrial companies, major electricity producers, and distributors of fuel and combustibles used in Quebec.

Companies governed by this market receive government credits to pollute up to a certain level, beyond which they must purchase credits to offset the excess emissions they have generated.

These offset credits are issued voluntarily by government-accredited companies that manage to reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere (e.g., methane and halocarbon destruction).

Natural disturbances such as forest fires occur regularly in the normal cycle of our forests, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. However, this phenomenon allows the forest to regenerate with the growth of young trees that will recapture carbon over time. These disturbances are coupled with intensive industrial activity in the forest, and reforestation often becomes necessary to help the forest heal following industrial activity.

For most of their lives, planted trees will capture carbon from the atmosphere and increase forest carbon stocks, mainly in the soil. This will help with climate regulation.

GHG emissions and reductions associated with the forest ecosystem are taken into account in GHG inventory calculations. Unfortunately, the methods used to account for these GHGs are subject to several biases and challenges.

According to the most recent studies, logging in Canada releases an average of over 90 million tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year, a number comparable to the emissions from the country’s agricultural sector. However, year on year, the national inventory report on forest sector GHG emissions shows negative levels of GHG emissions, obscuring the tens of millions of tonnes of carbon released into the atmosphere by the forestry industry.

References: 

•  Bysouth et al. (2024) High emissions or carbon neutral? Inclusion of “anthropogenic” forest sinks leads to underreporting of forestry emissions. Front. For. Glob. Change, Volume 6| https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1297301
•  Utilisation des terres/foresterie/forêts qui restent des forêts selon le jargon onusien
•  ECCC. 2023. National inventory report : greenhouse gas sources and sinks in Canada. https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.506002/publication.html

Reducing carbon emissions directly limits our impact on climate change, and thus on biodiversity. Preserving the services provided by natural environments is of utmost importance. While nature’s work may go unseen, it is essential to the health of everyone on the planet.

As individuals, there are several simple and effective actions that we can do to help reduce carbon emissions, including recycling and reusing objects, eating less meat, using public transportation or an electric vehicle, reducing overall consumption, supporting campaigns to pressure the various levels of government to protect nature or supporting environmental organizations.

At the government and business level, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) is the main way to reduce GHG emissions. Protecting natural environments and improving forestry practices also play a key role in reducing the release of carbon into the atmosphere.

But there are also broader changes to be taken into account. For example, rethinking the current capitalist system that is focused on economic growth but doesn’t consider its impacts on natural environments and climate change.

The climate and biodiversity crises are closely linked. Changes in one have a direct impact on the other. Global warming destroys ecosystems and leads to a loss of biodiversity. In turn, weakened biodiversity cannot exercise its full potential to regulate the climate and diminishes ecosystems’ resilience to change, which amplifies global warming.

Carbon-rich terrestrial environments consist mainly of old-growth forests and wetlands. An old-growth forest is an ecosystem that has evolved for more than 90 years, sometimes even centuries. It is home to a biodiversity where the interconnectivity of each species is ensured by the unique environment provided by these trees.

For example, the global boreal forest contains more than 20,300 animal and plant species. Woodland caribou, the peregrine falcon, the yellow rail and the whooping crane are endangered species in Quebec’s boreal forest. Protecting vast swaths of old boreal forests and wetlands maintains huge carbon stocks and preserves critical habitat for hundreds of species.

References: 

•  Corey J.A. Bradshaw, Ian G. Warkentin, Navjot S. Sodhi. Urgent preservation of boreal carbon stocks and biodiversity, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 24, Issue 10, 2009, Pages 541-548
• La forêt boréale canadienne sur le site de la fédération canadienne de la faune, consulté le 12 février 2025. https://www.hww.ca/fr/espaces-sauvages/la-foret-boreale-canadienne.html#:~:text=Bien%20que%20la%20for%C3%AAt%20bor%C3%A9ale,jaune%20et%20la%20Grue%20blanche.

The government’s objective to protect 30% of the territory comes from Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by 195 countries at the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference in 2022. This target provides for the protection of 30% of terrestrial, inland water, marine and coastal areas by 2030 by way of systems of protected areas and other effective conservation measures.

More specifically, why 30%? The conservation of 30% of land, inland waters and marine areas is considered by many scientists as the minimum to maintain biodiversity and ecological functions and processes. Canada and Quebec have committed to achieving these protected area targets.

In 2025, Quebec’s network of protected areas covers more than 250,000 km², or around 17% of continental territory and just over 10% of marine and coastal environments. Thanks to the Quebec government’s call for projects on protected areas in public territories in 2024, other protected areas are expected to be added in the near future.

References:

•  ONU. Convention sur la diversité biologique tenue à Montréal en décembre 2022. Décision adoptée par la conférence des parties à la convention sur la diversité biologique. https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-fr.pdf
•  Jonathan Baillie, Ya-Ping Zhang, Space for nature. Science 361,1051-1051(2018).DOI:10.1126/science.aau1397
•  Les données du Registre des aires protégées au Québec sur le site Données Québec. MELCCFP- Aires protégées au Québec (version du 31 mars 2024) . Consulté le 13 février 2025. https://services-mddelcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8e624ac767b04c0989a9229224b91334

The best strategy is to stop the threats to these environments through the creation of protected areas. By obtaining protected status, ecosystems cannot be exploited by forest, mining or hydroelectric industries, or destroyed by urban sprawl or agricultural expansion, thereby maintaining carbon stocks in place while protecting biodiversity.

Reforestation and restoration of natural environments can also be a strategy used to return land already exploited back to forest or wetlands.

Protecting natural environments is everyone’s business. Each of us can play a role and be an essential agent of change for protecting biodiversity and combating and adapting to climate change:

• RCMs, municipalities and the government can issue protection statuses on carbon-rich territories.
• First Nations can demand the protection of their ancestral lands through the creation of protected areas.
• Private land and forest owners can preserve their land as forests or carry out reforestation.
• The forestry industry can improve its harvesting practices by avoiding areas targeted for conservation by Indigenous peoples, citizen groups and NGOs.
• Citizens in general via direct requests to the government for protected areas and through responsible consumption, in order to limit our GHG emissions and minimize damage to nature.

Ecosystem services, often called “nature’s benefits,” are services that nature provides to humans. What would we do without water or air? And what about all the recreational activities we enjoy in nature and the protection that trees offer us against heat islands? These services can effectively sustain human life, improve our quality of life and ensure our safety.

The ecosystem services provided by the natural environments targeted by the Nature Alliée project are measured by researchers from Université Laval, who are members of the project’s scientific committee. In addition to carbon storage, data is also collected on flood risks, recreation and tourism, urban cooling, sediment retention (erosion prevention and water sanitation), pollination and water supply.

Reference: Réalisation et utilisation d’une évaluation des services écosystémiques aux fins de prises de décisions, sur le site de biodivcanada.ca, consulté le 13 février 2025.
https://www.biodivcanada.ca/rapports/boite-a-outils-des-services-ecosystemiques

Indigenous peoples have taken care of their territories since time immemorial. Today, land guardians are members of Indigenous communities dedicated to this responsibility for land, water, plants and animals. They play an important role in the transmission of Indigenous knowledge and practices and are described as “the eyes and ears of communities in traditional territories.”

In recent years, the federal government has established funding programs to support these initiatives, and a First Nations National Guardians Network was established in 2022.

Land guardians regularly connect university, provincial and federal experts with their communities and carry out a broad range of conservation and stewardship work. They may be involved in wildlife inventory, water and air quality monitoring, mapping contaminated sites, marking trails and much more!

As part of the Nature alliée project, we can count on the valuable collaboration of several land guardians to take samples in order to assess the carbon stocks and climate value of certain project sites. They have also enabled us to identify sites of cultural significance and will play a key role in the dissemination of carbon knowledge within communities.

Reference: Les gardiens autochtones, sur le site de L’initiative de leadership autochtone, consulté le 13 février 2025. https://www.nationaliteautochtone.ca/gardiens