CarboAfrica says Africa can be long-term carbon sink with right biomass policies

In Italy, CarboAfrica released a report showing that Africa has the potential to act as a major greenhouse gas emitter or carbon sink, depending on the policies employed in the region. The report found that Africa accounts for 17 percent of global emissions from deforestation, and 40 percent of emissions from fire. However, the report concluded that, with development, Africa could continue to act as a net carbon sink because of its extensive biomass. A major contributor to fire-based emissions is the burning of firewood for cooking, which could be replaced by biofuels cultivated in Africa on carbon-absorbing land.

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