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This report by the World Resources Institute argues that current carbon market crediting systems systematically undervalue tropical forests by focusing exclusively on carbon sequestration and ignoring critical non-carbon biophysical effects that contribute to global climate stability.

This report by the World Resources Institute argues that current carbon credit markets systematically undervalue tropical forests by focusing exclusively on carbon sequestration and ignoring critical non-carbon biophysical effects that contribute to global, regional, and local climate cooling.

This report by the World Resources Institute argues that current carbon credit systems systematically undervalue tropical forests by focusing exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ignoring non-carbon biophysical effects that contribute to global cooling and climate stability.

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.

This executive summary, authored by Alice Gerow and Frances Seymour for the World Resources Institute, outlines the material risks that non-carbon biophysical effects of tropical deforestation pose to the private sector. It argues that while many companies focus on carbon emissions and reputational risks, the loss of forests directly threatens agricultural productivity and worker health through changes in local temperature and regional precipitation, thereby destabilizing global supply chains.