Introducing the carbon neutrality capacity index: a revolutionary model for evaluating global carbon sink contributions

In a new study published in Volume 15 of the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Guiyang), revealing a new model for accurately evaluating carbon neutrality capacity, has been published by leading climate scientists. The Carbon Neutrality Capacity Index (CNCI) model evaluates contributions from various carbon sinks, providing vital data for climate change policy development and emission reduction strategies. The study utilized a variety of advanced analytical methods to construct the CNCI model, with a key innovation being the inclusion of carbonate and silicate rock chemical weathering as carbon sinks, an area often overlooked in carbon neutrality assessments. In addition to this, the model also evaluated the vegetation–soil ecosystem as a carbon sink. The results show that Guizhou has a CNCI of 57%, significantly higher than both China's average (11.88%) and the global average (27.14%). Furthermore, regions within Guizhou, such as Libo and Pingtang, showed surpluses, with CNCIs as high as 643% and 581%, respectively.

Highlights

• Rock weathering carbon sinks are incorporated into the carbon neutrality evaluation.

• A new model of the carbon neutrality capacity index (CNCI) was established.

• CNCI in Guizhou is 57%, accounting for 4.8 times that of China.

• Comparing with national and global data to enhance comparability.

These results highlight the region's potential to make a substantial contribution towards China's carbon neutrality goal. The study concludes by emphasizing the critical role rock weathering carbon sinks play in evaluating the CNC of terrestrial ecosystems. It also proposes the CNCI model as an efficient and applicable tool for comprehensive and systematic analysis of carbon neutrality, both at a national and global level. In the long term, the findings of this study could play a pivotal role in accelerating progress towards global carbon neutrality, a goal of significant importance in tackling climate change. The researchers hope that the findings of this study will provide valuable insights for scientists, policymakers, and climate activists around the globe.

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References

Funding information

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO.U22A20619),

Western Light Cross-team Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. xbzg-zdsys-202101), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42077455 & No.42167032),

Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB40000000 & No. XDA23060100),

Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Projects (No. 2022-198),

High-level innovative talents in Guizhou Province (No. GCC[2022]015-1 & No. 2016-5648), Guizhou Provincial 2020 Science and Technology Subsidies (No. GZ2020SIG),

Opening Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry (No. SKLEG2022206 & No. SKLEG2022208),

The central government leading local science and technology development (No. QianKeZhongYinDi [2021]4028).

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100237

About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. ESE received its latest impact factor of 12.6, according to the Journal Citation Report^TM 2022.