Restoring degraded terrestrial habitats across the EU could take up to 300 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent out of the atmosphere each year – as much as the combined annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, new research reveals. The findings show the huge climate action potential of the upcoming EU Nature Restoration Law.
The study, commissioned by WWF and conducted by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), looked at the climate mitigation potential of restoring “habitats of EU importance”. WWF commissioned the study in the lead up to the EU Nature Restoration Law, which the European Commission is expected to present in March.