14th November 2025
Not only have humans been adding excessive amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (largely though burning fossil fuels), we have also been destroying the Earth’s own ways of absorbing carbon dioxide. Two of the main ‘carbon sinks’ (as they are known) are forests, especially rain forests, and oceans.
Loss of rainforest in the Amazon continues to increase due to deforestation (principally clearing tree to grow other crops) and wild fires (which are increasing as temperatures rise and as droughts become more severe). (1)
It is sad to report that in the leaders’ summit in advance of COP30, the UK government determined not to help fund the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF). The TFFF aim is to raise $25 billion from developed countries attending COP30, which will underpin a $125 billion fund (p rest coming from private investors) to protect rainforests on both the Amazon and Congo. (3)
Oceans loose their ability to absorb carbon dioxide as they heat (warm water absorbs less CO2) (2)
and as flora and fauna are removed (from whales to sea grass) and from bottom trawling and mining which release previously absorbed CO2. (4)
To an extended protection of the oceans already exists via the 30 by 30 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) where signatories agreed to protect and enhance the biodiversity of 30% of land and sea by 2030. (5) This will hopefully be further extended to include international waters that lie outside those waters controlled by individual nations with the High Seas Treaty. (6)
(2) https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2025/09/04/the-ocean-carbon-sink-is-ailing/
(4) https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/CFloor.page
(5) https://for-the-ocean.org/event/cop30/
(6) https://highseasalliance.org/treaty-negotiations/
The Green Tau 