Global Land Carbon Sink Rebounded in 2025
Terrestrial ecosystems captured 2.36 gigatonnes of carbon in 2025 following a period of near-zero absorption.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Environmental
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The global land carbon sink saw a significant recovery in 2025, absorbing 2.36 gigatonnes of carbon. This performance surpassed the 2015-2022 average by 0.71 gigatonnes after two years of nearly stagnant sequestration.
Why it matters
Natural sinks are essential, as they remove over half of human-emitted CO2 from the atmosphere. The 2025 recovery highlights how terrestrial ecosystems, particularly tropical forests, depend on stable climate conditions to maintain their capacity to mitigate emissions.
The global land carbon sink absorbed 2.36 gigatonnes in 2025, an increase of 0.71 gigatonnes over the 2015-2022 period. Despite this, total sink capacity remains 25 per cent smaller than it would be without climate change and natural variability.
The players
Amazon
The Amazon is a vast tropical rainforest that acts as one of the world's most critical terrestrial carbon sinks.
Africa
Tropical forests across Africa serve as a primary global region for carbon sequestration through plant growth.
The details
The recent rebound was driven by more normal climate conditions in tropical regions, including Africa and the Amazon. This follows a period during 2023 and 2024 when El Niño weather patterns and Amazon fires nearly neutralized the planet's terrestrial carbon uptake.
Timeline
2015-2022 served as the baseline period for calculating the average land carbon sink.
2023-2024 saw the global land carbon sink experience a near-total cancellation.
2025 marked the year of the global land carbon sink rebound.
Late 2026 is when a Pacific super El Niño is expected to reach its peak intensity.
The Big Picture
These findings update the carbon uptake figures previously established by the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report's carbon cycle modeling. This research clarifies how natural variability influences the global carbon budget, even as the long-term trend points toward a weakening of terrestrial sinks.
The recovery of natural carbon sinks provides a temporary buffer that helps slow the accumulation of atmospheric CO2. Continued volatility in these sinks underscores the necessity of reducing human-emitted CO2 to compensate for the anticipated long-term decline in natural absorption capacity.
The takeaway
The 2025 recovery demonstrates that terrestrial forests remain highly responsive to climate stability. Strengthening forest protection in tropical regions is essential to maintaining this natural defense against rising atmospheric carbon levels.
What happens next
A projected slump in carbon uptake is expected next year, while a Pacific super El Niño is forecast to reach peak intensity in late 2026.
Further reading
For more on how ecosystems manage emissions, visit the Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by New Scientist.
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