Northern hemisphere forests face an unprecedented climate crisis as record wildfires and escalating temperatures threaten to transform Earth’s vital carbon sinks into carbon sources, according to a alarming United Nations report released Wednesday.
The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) assessment, published before the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, reveals that forests across Europe, North America, the Caucasus, and Central Asia are experiencing significantly diminished carbon absorption capacity. These ecosystems currently store approximately half of global forest carbon reserves.
Three Decades of Progress at Risk
UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean emphasized the severity of the situation, warning that achievements from the past thirty years now face serious jeopardy from the accelerating climate emergency. The report indicates forests may soon release more carbon dioxide than they capture, directly undermining Paris Agreement objectives to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Northern hemisphere forests represent over 42 percent of worldwide forest coverage and contain nearly half of Earth’s primary old-growth woodlands. These ecosystems traditionally offset substantial portions of human-generated carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption and deforestation activities.
Arctic Boreal Forests Face Greatest Threat
Arctic boreal forests emerge as particularly vulnerable within the report’s findings. Housing nearly half of the planet’s primary forests, these regions confront intensifying threats from temperature increases, devastating wildfires, invasive pests, and prolonged drought conditions.
European forests demonstrate this troubling trend dramatically. Research conducted by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre documented that carbon dioxide absorption declined by nearly one-third between 2020-2022 compared to 2010-2014 levels.
Global Response and Future Action
Molcean stressed the irreplaceable value of forests as nature’s most effective climate defense mechanism. At the upcoming COP30 conference, Brazil plans to introduce the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, providing financial support to nations committed to forest preservation.
The report underscores the urgent necessity for immediate international action to protect these critical ecosystems before they cross irreversible climate thresholds.
