Creating a new carbon sink

[Old Rocks]

Sometimes a solution to one problem also helps with another. The Great Green Belt that China is using to hold back desertification also now has measurable affects on atmospheric carbon.

Human-induced biospheric carbon sink: Impact from the Taklamakan Afforestation Project​

Salma Noor ORCID, Xun Jiang ORCID, Xinyue Wang, +6 , and Yuk L. Yung ORCID yly@caltech.eduAuthors Info & Affiliations
Edited by Mark Thiemens, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA; received August 23, 2025; accepted December 4, 2025
January 20, 2026
123 (4) e2523388123
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523388123

1,248

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Total Views​

• Last 12 Months1,248

Vol. 123 | No. 4

Significance​

This study highlights the Taklamakan Desert’s emerging and previously underappreciated role in the global carbon cycle. By revealing how human-led afforestation can transform hyperarid landscapes into functioning carbon sinks, it demonstrates that even the most extreme deserts are not beyond ecological recovery and can be managed for carbon storage, thus helping to mitigate climate change. The observed greening trend suggests a significant climate impact, as increased CO2 uptake in arid zones could influence regional and even global climate dynamics. This work provides critical constraints and benchmarks for refining Earth system models and supports the development of more effective carbon management strategies, particularly in dryland regions that have long been overlooked in global reforestation and carbon removal efforts.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523388123

MSN

 

[EMH]

There is no reason to waste time or money on "carbon sinks" since there is ZERO evidence that the increase in atmospheric CO2 the past 100+ years has caused any warming, it hasn't.

 

[egp320i]

Sometimes a solution to one problem also helps with another. The Great Green Belt that China is using to hold back desertification also now has measurable affects on atmospheric carbon.

Human-induced biospheric carbon sink: Impact from the Taklamakan Afforestation Project​

Salma Noor ORCID, Xun Jiang ORCID, Xinyue Wang, +6 , and Yuk L. Yung ORCID yly@caltech.eduAuthors Info & Affiliations
Edited by Mark Thiemens, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA; received August 23, 2025; accepted December 4, 2025
January 20, 2026
123 (4) e2523388123
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523388123
1,248

Metrics​

Total Views​

• Last 12 Months1,248

Vol. 123 | No. 4

Significance​

This study highlights the Taklamakan Desert’s emerging and previously underappreciated role in the global carbon cycle. By revealing how human-led afforestation can transform hyperarid landscapes into functioning carbon sinks, it demonstrates that even the most extreme deserts are not beyond ecological recovery and can be managed for carbon storage, thus helping to mitigate climate change. The observed greening trend suggests a significant climate impact, as increased CO2 uptake in arid zones could influence regional and even global climate dynamics. This work provides critical constraints and benchmarks for refining Earth system models and supports the development of more effective carbon management strategies, particularly in dryland regions that have long been overlooked in global reforestation and carbon removal efforts.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2523388123

MSN

reclaim land in the amazon that was slashed and burned and replant the trees that were

natural carbon sink as intended