les forêts dans un climat en évolution

The report examines the critical role of forests in regulating the global climate through carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles. It argues that while forests currently act as carbon sinks, rising temperatures—particularly above 23C—risk turning them into carbon sources. The text emphasizes the superior carbon storage of old-growth forests over plantations and highlights the extreme vulnerability of peatlands and tropical forests. It concludes that protecting existing forests and their soils is a more effective climate strategy than relying on reforestation or the uncertain phenomenon of 'carbon fertilization'.

• Forests and their soils store vast amounts of carbon, with over two-thirds of forest ecosystem carbon located in the soil and peat deposits.
• Peatlands, despite covering only 3% of the Earth's surface, contain approximately 550 billion tonnes of carbon, which is double the amount stored in forests.
• Old-growth forests are significantly more effective at storing carbon than plantations; estimates suggest plantations store only 20% of the carbon held by intact old-growth forests.
• The 'missing carbon sink' research indicates that tropical forests capture significantly more CO2 than previously estimated, with nearly 40% of the CO2 once attributed to Northern forests actually being captured in the tropics.
• Deforestation and the drainage of peatlands, particularly in Southeast Asia for oil palm plantations, contribute substantially to global emissions, with peatland destruction alone estimated to cause 8% of global CO2 emissions.
• Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of forest fires, which release massive amounts of carbon; for example, the 1997 Indonesian fires released 2.57 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 40% of that year's fossil fuel CO2 emissions.
• The concept of 'carbon fertilization'—where increased CO2 levels accelerate plant growth—remains scientifically inconclusive and should not be relied upon for climate mitigation strategies.
• Excess nitrogen from industrial pollution and fertilizers can increase soil respiration in tropical forests, leading to a significant increase in carbon emissions.
• Climate change is expected to shift species distribution, with forests likely shrinking in Eurasia, Eastern China, Canada, Central America, and the Amazon, while expanding toward the Arctic and semi-arid savannas.

APA

hall, R. (2008). les forêts dans un climat en évolution. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/05-foei-forest-climate-french-lr.pdf

Chicago

hall, Ronnie. les forêts dans un climat en évolution. Friends of the Earth International, 2008. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/05-foei-forest-climate-french-lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=hall |first1=Ronnie |title=les forêts dans un climat en évolution |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2008 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/05-foei-forest-climate-french-lr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hall2008les, author = {hall, Ronnie}, title = {{les forêts dans un climat en évolution}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2008}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/05-foei-forest-climate-french-lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }