Stephan et al. (2026): What do we know about the albedo effect of afforestation and reforestation? A systematic synthesis of the scientific literature
Leon Stephan, Ingrid Schulte and Sabine Fuss, IN: Environmental Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae608b
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and achieving net zero CO₂ emissions. As one technique of the CDR portfolio, afforestation and reforestation (A/R) is heavily relied on in both climate change mitigation scenarios and policy strategies. However, beyond CO₂ sequestration, A/R can have side effects that may affect its effectiveness in drawing global temperatures down, which is the ultimate aim of CDR. In their study, the authors focus on A/R’s impact on the Earth’s albedo. Here, they provide the first systematic overview of the albedo effect. They review and synthesize the existing evidence in the scientific literature and analyze patterns of the albedo effect.