EU urged to restore forests\’ broken carbon absorption

European forests are losing their ability to store carbon – a looming threat to the EU’s climate goals

In a stark assessment released on Wednesday, researchers from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre warned that the soils, trees and soils across the European Union are rapidly losing their capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. The study, led by Giacomo Grassi of the UN’s IPCC expert task force, argued that bold, science‑driven action is essential to reverse this decline.

What the data reveal

• Between 2020 and 2022, the combined amount of CO₂ captured by European forests and other natural ecosystems fell by roughly a third compared with the 2010‑2014 period.
• Preliminary 2025 figures suggest an even steeper drop, indicating that the EU’s climate targets – which rely on an expanding carbon sink – are now in danger.

Why the decline matters

Forests cover 40 % of the EU’s territory and have been projected to play a crucial role in the bloc’s effort to reduce overall emissions of planet‑warming gases. However, human activity (logging, land use change) and climate pressures (extreme weather events, insect outbreaks) are eroding that forest resilience, making the carbon sink less effective.

How to halt the decline

• Rapid reductions in global carbon emissions.
• Improved forest management to enhance resilience to climate impacts.
• Comprehensive monitoring and better measurement of carbon flows between the soil, vegetation, and atmosphere.
• Advanced predictions of how extreme weather will affect carbon sinks in the future.

An urgent call for better forest dynamics understanding

The authors highlighted that many European countries still rely on periodic inventories that cannot keep pace with rapid changes to forest health. They urged the development of more precise tools to quantify carbon fluxes across natural systems, as the future of the EU’s climate ambitions hinges on a robust, expanding carbon sink.

Global context

• Another study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment stressed that land accounts for a quarter of global emissions reductions in countries’ climate plans, warning that insufficient funding and conservation focus is jeopardizing these plans.
• Professor Piers Forster of Leeds University emphasized that “we can’t bet our future on carbon removal – either from planting more trees, protecting forests, or emerging technologies such as direct air capture and storage – without understanding what is already happening to the land and natural systems.”

Beyond the present

Scientists have repeatedly warned that the behavior of carbon sinks in a warming world remains uncertain. Recent policy analyses have suggested that major economies may be overstating how much their forests can absorb, potentially allowing the continued use of fossil fuels.

In summary, the study delivers an urgent, data‑driven message: the EU must act swiftly to boost forest resilience, improve monitoring, and reduce emissions, or else the climate targets that depend on a thriving carbon sink will no longer be achievable.