In the tortured history of climate-change negotiations, enlightened thinking has translated into positive action all too rarely. But governments have recently seen the light on a
crucial issue: they have recognized the vital role that intact natural ecosystems have in limiting the build-up of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Several recent studies have highlighted the possibility that the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems have started loosing part of their ability to sequester a large proportion of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This is an important claim, because so far only about 40% of those emissions have stayed in the atmosphere, which has prevented additional climate change.

Meter for meter, peatlands store more carbon
than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Covering only about 3% of Earth's
land area, they hold the equivalent of half of the carbon that is in
the atmosphere as CO₂.

Meter for meter, peatlands store more carbon
than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Covering only about 3% of Earth's
land area, they hold the equivalent of half of the carbon that is in
the atmosphere as CO₂.

An emissions trading scheme gives forests a market value on the basis of how much carbon they sequester. It could help to control global warming

If the next climate treaty tackles deforestation, tropical nations will need to monitor the biomass of their forests. One ecologist has worked out a way to do that from the sky, finds Jeff Tollefson.