Potential Analysis of Mediterranean Forestry for Offsetting GHG Emissions at Regional Level: Evidence from Valencia, Spain

Edgar Lorenzo-Sáez, Jose-Vicente Oliver-Villanueva, Victoria Lerma-Arce, Celia Yagüe-Hurtado and Lenin Guillermo Lemus-Zúñiga
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Edgar Lorenzo-Sáez: Information and Communication Technologies vs Climate Change Research Group, Campus de Vera, ITACA Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Jose-Vicente Oliver-Villanueva: Information and Communication Technologies vs Climate Change Research Group, Campus de Vera, ITACA Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Victoria Lerma-Arce: Information and Communication Technologies vs Climate Change Research Group, Campus de Vera, ITACA Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Celia Yagüe-Hurtado: Information and Communication Technologies vs Climate Change Research Group, Campus de Vera, ITACA Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Lenin Guillermo Lemus-Zúñiga: Information and Communication Technologies vs Climate Change Research Group, Campus de Vera, ITACA Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: Forest management is an untapped tool, yet to realize its full potential to fight against climate change. The capability of forests to act as carbon sinks makes them a key resource to reduce CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere. However, carbon which has been fixed can be suddenly emitted again as a consequence of disturbances such as pests or wildfires. Mediterranean plant phenology, climatic conditions, and the accumulation of fuel biomass due to abandonment of traditional forest uses generate a scenario prone to large wildfires and consequently large greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The abandonment could be offset by considering the economic value of forest ecosystem services, principally carbon fixation. Nevertheless, currently existing forest carbon markets consider only anthropogenic fixation based on a business as usual scenario without disturbances that cannot be applied to Mediterranean forest reality. Thus, a methodology to monetize carbon fixed has been developed and applied. A range between 55.5 and 250 million € produced by the monetization of 16.5 million potential carbon credits has been obtained based on anthropogenic avoided emissions produced over a 10 year-period. Thereby, the potential for offsetting emissions of the pilot region was between 1.2% and 5.6% of total diffuse GHG emissions. Consequently, sustainable forest management represents an important opportunity to combat climate change, taking advantage of the margin of improvement that the Mediterranean forests currently have to avoid GHG emissions through forest fire prevention silviculture.

Keywords: Mediterranean forestry; GHG; carbon; climate change; wildfires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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