{"id":72001,"date":"2026-04-21T18:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=72001"},"modified":"2026-04-21T18:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:11:15","slug":"forest-carbon-storage-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-04-2026\/forest-carbon-storage-india","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Forest Carbon Storage May Nearly Double by 2100"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study published in Environmental Research: Climate highlights that India\u2019s forests could store nearly twice as much carbon by 2100 under different climate change scenarios.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Carbon storage by India&#8217;s forests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s forests act as a significant carbon sink by <strong>absorbing carbon dioxide<\/strong> from the atmosphere and <strong>storing it in biomass and soil.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the Forest Survey of India, the total forest carbon stock increased from 6.94 billion tonnes in 2013 to <strong>7.29 billion tonnes in 2023.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The carbon stock includes carbon stored in <strong>above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, dead wood, litter, and soil organic carbon.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of the Study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The study projects that <strong>vegetation carbon biomass in India may increase significantly<\/strong> by the end of the century under all emission pathways.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The increase in forest carbon is primarily driven by <strong>higher precipitation and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide<\/strong> levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spatial Patterns of Change:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The highest relative increase in vegetation carbon is expected in arid and semi-arid regions such as <strong>Rajasthan, Gujarat, and western Madhya Pradesh.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These regions may witness <strong>more than 60%<\/strong> increase in vegetation carbon under high-emission scenarios due to improved moisture conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regions such as the <strong>Trans-Himalayas, the Gangetic plains, and the Deccan Plateau <\/strong>are also projected to experience moderate increases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biodiversity-rich regions such as the <strong>Western Ghats and the Himalayas <\/strong>are expected to show relatively smaller increases due to <strong>ecological saturation and climatic constraints.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of increased Carbon storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forest carbon storage plays a <strong>crucial role in climate change mitigation <\/strong>by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creation of Carbon Sink: <\/strong>India has committed to creating a carbon sink of <strong>3.5 to 4 billion tonnes<\/strong> of CO\u2082 equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2035 under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the Concerns?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The projected increase in carbon storage does not imply that climate change is beneficial for forests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Risks such as <strong>deforestation, land-use change, forest fires, pests, and extreme weather events<\/strong> can reverse gains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Climate change may lead to <strong>ecosystem instability and sudden carbon release<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Steps Taken by India to Enhance Forest Carbon Storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Green India Mission<\/strong> focuses on afforestation, reforestation, and restoration of degraded forest landscapes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act (CAMPA)<\/strong> ensures that forest land diverted for non-forest use is compensated by afforestation activities elsewhere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India promotes agroforestry through the <strong>National Agroforestry Policy, <\/strong>encouraging farmers to integrate trees with crops and livestock systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India is a signatory to the <strong>Bonn Challenge<\/strong>, committing to restore <strong>26 million hectares<\/strong> of degraded land by <strong>2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Urban forestry initiatives, including the <strong>Nagar Van Yojana<\/strong>, aim to create green spaces in cities, contributing to carbon sequestration and improved air quality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India participates in global initiatives such as <strong>REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) <\/strong>to enhance carbon sequestration and access climate finance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is a need to strengthen <strong>protection of existing dense forests,<\/strong> as mature forests store significantly more carbon and are more resilient than newly planted forests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Afforestation programmes must <strong>prioritise native and diverse species<\/strong>, avoiding monoculture plantations that provide limited ecological and carbon benefits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forest management strategies must be<strong> region-specific and climate-informed, <\/strong>especially for vulnerable zones such as semi-arid regions, Himalayan ecosystems, and coastal forests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/indias-forests-could-nearly-double-carbon-storage-by-2100-study-finds\/article70885152.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A recent study published in Environmental Research: Climate highlights that India\u2019s forests could store nearly twice as much carbon by 2100 under different climate change scenarios. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Carbon storage by India&#8217;s forests <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India\u2019s forests act as a significant carbon sink by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass and soil. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> According to the Forest Survey of India, the total forest carbon stock increased from 6.94 billion tonnes in 2013 to 7.29 billion tonnes in 2023. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The carbon stock includes carbon stored in above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, dead wood, litter, and soil organic carbon. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-04-2026\/forest-carbon-storage-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72001"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72003,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72001\/revisions\/72003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}