A carbon-neutrality-capacity index for evaluating carbon sink contributions
Xiaoyong Bai, Sirui Zhang, Chaojun Li, Lian Xiong, Fengjiao Song, Chaochao Du, Minghui Li, Qing Luo, Yingying Xue, Shijie Wang
Abstract
The accurate determination of the carbon neutrality capacity (CNC) of a region is crucial for developing policies related to emissions and climate change. However, a systematic diagnostic method for determining the CNC that considers the rock chemical weathering carbon sink (RCS) is lacking. Moreover, it is challenging but indispensable to establish a fast and practical index model to determine the CNC. Here, we selected Guizhou as the study area, used the methods for different types of carbon sinks, and constructed a CNC index (CNCI) model. We found that: (1) the carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink flux was 30.3 t CO2 km−2 yr−1. Guizhou accounted for 1.8% of the land area and contributed 5.4% of the carbonate chemical weathering carbon sink; (2) the silicate rock chemical weathering carbon sink and its flux were 1.44 × 103 t CO2 and 2.43 t CO2 km−2 yr−1, respectively; (3) the vegetation-soil ecosystem carbon sink and its flux were 1.37 × 108 t CO2 and 831.70 t CO2 km−2 yr−1, respectively; (4) the carbon emissions (CEs) were 280 Tg CO2, about 2.8% of the total for China; and (5) the total carbon sinks in Guizhou were 160 Tg CO2, with a CNCI of 57%, which is 4.8 times of China and 2.1 times of the world. In summary, we conducted a systematic diagnosis of the CNC considering the RCS and established a CNCI model. The results of this study have a strong implication and significance for national and global CNC determination and gap analysis.