Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now

A group of scientists argues that the pursuit of absolute "permanence" in carbon storage is a "red herring" that delays the deployment of natural climate solutions. They propose shifting the focus to "durability"—the length of time carbon is stored and the effectiveness of risk management—asserting that the ecological and economic costs of delay outweigh the risks of carbon reversals. The authors highlight that natural systems already absorb about a third of human fossil fuel emissions and that risks can be managed through compensation mechanisms like buffer pools and financial instruments. They conclude that natural and engineered solutions are complementary and that immediate action is essential to stabilize the climate over the next 20 to 30 years.

• The authors argue that the concept of "permanence" is often used to dismiss natural climate solutions, but the focus should instead be on "durability," which considers how long carbon is stored, the mechanisms to manage its return, and the scale of implementation required for climate benefits.
• Natural climate solutions operate at landscape, regional, and global scales, providing resilience that individual plots lack; these systems have historically absorbed approximately one-third of human fossil fuel emissions.
• Risks of carbon reversal can be managed using existing and evolving compensation mechanisms, such as buffer pools, which act as insurance by setting aside a portion of climate benefits in a pooled reserve of credits.
• The risk of failing to deploy available natural solutions now is greater than the risk of future carbon reversals, especially since the next 20 to 30 years are critical for avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
• The authors state that natural climate solutions do not compete with engineered technologies but rather complement them, and both are necessary for climate mitigation.

APA

Buma, D. B., Cook-Patton, D. S., Ellis, P., Funk, D. J., Griscom, D. B., Hamburg, D. S., Kuebbing, D. S., Tenzin, D. J., Walker, D. S. M., & Wijedasa, D. L. S. (2025). Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/durability-not-permanence-why-we-must-act-on-natural-climate-solutions-now/

Chicago

Buma, Dr Brian, Dr Susan Cook-Patton, Peter Ellis, Dr Jason Funk, Dr Bronson Griscom, Dr Steven Hamburg, Dr Sara Kuebbing, et al. Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now. World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/durability-not-permanence-why-we-must-act-on-natural-climate-solutions-now/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Buma |first1=Dr Brian |last2=Cook-Patton |first2=Dr Susan |last3=Ellis |first3=Peter |last4=Funk |first4=Dr Jason |last5=Griscom |first5=Dr Bronson |last6=Hamburg |first6=Dr Steven |last7=Kuebbing |first7=Dr Sara |last8=Tenzin |first8=Dr Jigme |last9=Walker |first9=Dr Sarah M |display-authors=etal |title=Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=23 June 2025 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/durability-not-permanence-why-we-must-act-on-natural-climate-solutions-now/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{buma2025durability, author = {Buma, Dr Brian and Cook-Patton, Dr Susan and Ellis, Peter and Funk, Dr Jason and Griscom, Dr Bronson and Hamburg, Dr Steven and Kuebbing, Dr Sara and Tenzin, Dr Jigme and Walker, Dr Sarah M and Wijedasa, Dr Lahiru S.}, title = {{Durability, not permanence: Why we must act on natural climate solutions now}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/durability-not-permanence-why-we-must-act-on-natural-climate-solutions-now/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }