California Air Resources Board

To address climate change, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by sources such as transportation, power plants, and industrial processes must be less than or equal to the amount of carbon dioxide that is stored, both in natural sinks such as forests and mechanical sequestration such as carbon capture and sequestration. The IPCC’s Special Report finds that to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius we need to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century.  Importantly, the framework for carbon neutrality provides a path to consider the role of natural and working lands as a source and sink of greenhouse gas emissions in addition to the traditional focus on mitigation of fossil energy and industrial emissions. The IPCC’s Special Report also indicates that on a global scale, some regions may remain net emitters, while others are better suited to be net sinks.