Temporary carbon storage in forests has climate value — but we need to get the accounting right

Forests and other natural carbon reservoirs play an important role in slowing and potentially reversing the effects of climate change.

But any carbon stored in nature is vulnerable to either natural or human-caused disturbances. This is one reason why offsetting fossil fuel emissions with natural carbon storage is problematic. If the carbon is lost to the atmosphere, then the offset potential is also negated after it has already been claimed and accounted for.