Land use has depleted a quarter of global carbon stocks in plants and soils

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The current study by Raphael Ganzenmüller, Wolfgang Obermeier, Selma Bultan, Julia Pongratz and colleagues demonstrates how strongly human activities affect natural carbon stocks in plants and soils. According to their findings, the expansion of pasture and cropland as well as forest management have depleted global terrestrial carbon stocks by about 24%.

To precisely assess the global impacts of land use, the team combined high-resolution Earth observation data with historical and current land-use information and applied machine learning methods.

“Our study reveals the far-reaching human impact on the global carbon cycle,” explains Raphael Ganzenmüller. “The deficit of 344 billion metric tons of carbon is comparable in size to global CO₂ emissions from coal, oil, and natural gas over the past 50 years. Our approach provides a clear picture of where and how vegetation and soils have been degraded and can be used as a general indicator of the state of ecosystems.”

Chair holder Julia Pongratz emphasizes: “Our study provides important insights for climate policy. For example, the findings can be used to evaluate carbon removal measures. Moreover, they underscore the great potential of restoring carbon stocks on land to achieve global climate goals.”

The study not only highlights the urgency of protecting existing carbon sinks but also provides an important basis for prioritizing restoration measures and improving climate models.

Raphael Ganzenmüller, Wolfgang A. Obermeier, Selma Bultan, Seth A. Spawn-Lee, Florian Zabel & Julia Pongratz: Humans have depleted global terrestrial carbon stocks by a quarter. One Earth 2025