Assessment of Carbon Stock in Forest Biomass and Emission Reduction Potential in Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia has a large extent of forest cover that plays a crucial role in storing biomass carbon and enhancing carbon sink (carbon sequestration) and reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to reduce the negative impacts of global climate change. This article estimates the economic value of forest carbon stock and carbon value per hectare of forested area based on the price of removing per ton CO2eq in USD from 1990 to 2050. The economic value of biomass carbon stored in the forests is estimated at nearly USD 51 billion in 2020 and approximately USD 41 billion in 2050, whereas carbon value per hectare forest area is estimated at USD 2885 in 2020 and USD 2388 in 2050. If the BAU scenario of forest loss (converting forests to other land use) continues, the projected estimation of carbon stock and its economic value might fall until 2050 unless further initiatives on proper planning of forest management and ambitious policy implementation are taken. Instead, Malaysia’s CO2 emission growth started to fall after 2010 due to rising forest carbon sink of 282 million tons between 2011 and 2016, indicating a huge potential of Malaysian forests for future climate change mitigation. The estimated and projected value of carbon stock in Malaysian forest biomass, annual growth of forest carbon, forest carbon density and carbon sink would be useful for the better understanding of enhancing carbon sink by avoiding deforestation, sustainable forest management, forest conservation and protection, accurate reporting of national carbon inventories and policy-making decisions. The findings of this study could also be useful in meeting emission reduction targets and policy implementation related to climate change mitigation in Malaysia.

Dynamic impacts of energy use, agricultural land expansion, and deforestation on CO2 emissions in Malaysia

“…Furthermore, forestry-based mitigation strategies (forest protection, afforestation, natural regeneration) would serve a multifunctional purpose, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem enhancement, and community outputs of goods and services (Raihan and Said 2021 ). As the forest carbon sequestration rate in Malaysia is relatively high due to the rapid growth of plants (Raihan et al 2021 ), Malaysian forests have a huge potential to mitigate global climate change by reducing CO 2 emissions and increasing forest biomass by enhancing the national carbon sink through the widespread implementation of forestry-based mitigation measures.…”

Nexus Between Emission Reduction Factors and Anthropogenic Carbon Emissions in India

“…Forests, on the other hand, serve as both carbon sources and sinks, having a significant impact on the overall climate pattern (Raihan et al 2019). Forests help to ease climate change by taking CO 2 from the air and preserving it in plant biomass, a process known as carbon sequestration (Raihan et al 2021b). Nearly 300 billion tons of CO 2 from the environment are captured annually by worldwide forests, with an additional three billion tons expected to seep out into the ambiance owing to logging ).…”

Dynamic impacts of economic growth, renewable energy use, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, agriculture, and forests on carbon emissions in Turkey

“…Furthermore, the need for agriculture, mining, settlements, mass transport, and other infrastructures is increasing, causing forest cover loss (Jaafar et al 2020) which triggers CO 2 emissions. Forests serve as both carbon sources and sinks, having a significant impact on the overall climate system (Raihan et al 2021b). Forests help to slow the rate of climate change by absorbing atmospheric CO 2 and storing it in their biomass which is called carbon sequestration (Raihan et al 2019).…”