Como as partes da UNFCCC podem agir sobre os efeitos climáticos não carbônicos das florestas

This briefing by the World Resources Institute (WRI) explains how forests influence climate stability through non-carbon biophysical processes and argues that the UNFCCC should integrate these effects into its policies. The document details four primary biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—and proposes six specific pathways for UNFCCC parties to account for these effects in national reports, NDCs, REDD+ financing, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and IPCC assessment reports.

• Forests influence global and local temperatures and rainfall patterns through four primary non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo (solar energy reflection), evapotranspiration (moisture release that cools the surface), surface roughness (wind turbulence that increases heat and moisture transfer), and the release of aerosols (particles and chemical compounds that affect cloud color and ozone concentration).
• Deforestation of tropical forests has a significantly higher impact on global warming than carbon accounting alone suggests, contributing 50% more to global warming. The net effect of forests on climate depends on latitude, with tropical forests providing substantial global cooling.
• At a regional scale, tropical forests act as "precipitation basins" that regulate rainfall across national borders. For example, deforestation in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon Forest impacts rainfall in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, increasing the risk of drought and threatening water and food security.
• Local deforestation can lead to extreme temperature increases that far exceed global average greenhouse gas warming. While the greenhouse effect may cause a 1 °C average increase, local communities losing forest cooling benefits may experience peak temperatures rising by over 7.6 °C, increasing heat stress for humans, livestock, and crops.
• The document proposes six ways for UNFCCC parties to integrate biophysical forest effects: expanding annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory reports, including these effects in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), incorporating them into REDD+ reporting and finance, integrating them into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and funding, introducing them to the Global Stocktake (GST), and ensuring their inclusion in the IPCC's 7th assessment cycle (AR7).
• The UNFCCC's mandate allows for the inclusion of non-carbon effects, as the Paris Agreement defines the climate system as the totality of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. Article 5 of the Agreement specifically mentions "non-carbon benefits" related to policies for reducing deforestation and forest degradation.

APA

Culbertson, M., Seymour, F., & Wolosin, M. (n.d.). Como as partes da UNFCCC podem agir sobre os efeitos climáticos não carbônicos das florestas. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/how-unfccc-parties-can-act-forests-non-carbon-climate-effects-portuguese.pdf

Chicago

Culbertson, Michael, Frances Seymour, and Michael Wolosin. Como as partes da UNFCCC podem agir sobre os efeitos climáticos não carbônicos das florestas. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/how-unfccc-parties-can-act-forests-non-carbon-climate-effects-portuguese.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Culbertson |first1=Michael |last2=Seymour |first2=Frances |last3=Wolosin |first3=Michael |title=Como as partes da UNFCCC podem agir sobre os efeitos climáticos não carbônicos das florestas |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/how-unfccc-parties-can-act-forests-non-carbon-climate-effects-portuguese.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{culbertsonndcomo, author = {Culbertson, Michael and Seymour, Frances and Wolosin, Michael}, title = {{Como as partes da UNFCCC podem agir sobre os efeitos climáticos não carbônicos das florestas}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/how-unfccc-parties-can-act-forests-non-carbon-climate-effects-portuguese.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }