Country-specific net-zero strategies of the pulp and paper industry

Min Dai, Mingxing Sun, Bin Chen, Lei Shi, Mingzhou Jin, Yi Man, Ziyang Liang, Cecilia Maria Villas Bôas Almeida, Jiashuo Li, Pengfei Zhang, Anthony S. F. Chiu, Ming Xu, Huajun Yu, Jing Meng and Yutao Wang ()
Additional contact information
Min Dai: Fudan University
Mingxing Sun: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Bin Chen: Fudan University
Lei Shi: Nanchang University
Mingzhou Jin: The University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Yi Man: South China University of Technology
Ziyang Liang: Fudan University
Cecilia Maria Villas Bôas Almeida: Universidade Paulista, UNIP
Jiashuo Li: Shandong University
Pengfei Zhang: Shandong University
Anthony S. F. Chiu: De La Salle University
Ming Xu: Tsinghua University
Huajun Yu: Fudan University
Jing Meng: University College London
Yutao Wang: Fudan University

Nature, 2024, vol. 626, issue 7998, 327-334

Abstract: Abstract The pulp and paper industry is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions1,2. Country-specific strategies are essential for the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, given its vast heterogeneities across countries3,4. Here we develop a comprehensive bottom-up assessment of net greenhouse gas emissions of the domestic paper-related sectors for 30 major countries from 1961 to 2019—about 3.2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from the same period5—and explore mitigation strategies through 2,160 scenarios covering key factors. Our results show substantial differences across countries in terms of historical emissions evolution trends and structure. All countries can achieve net-zero emissions for their pulp and paper industry by 2050, with a single measure for most developed countries and several measures for most developing countries. Except for energy-efficiency improvement and energy-system decarbonization, tropical developing countries with abundant forest resources should give priority to sustainable forest management, whereas other developing countries should pay more attention to enhancing methane capture rate and reducing recycling. These insights are crucial for developing net-zero strategies tailored to each country and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 for the pulp and paper industry.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06962-0

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