Carbon stored in India's forests is projected to grow as warming and rainfall increase due to climate change, a new study has found.
The largest gains in carbon biomass are projected in the desert and semi-arid zones, followed by the trans-Himalaya, Indo-Gangetic Plain, and Deccan Peninsula.
The increase will be modest for the Western Ghats, Northeast, and Himalayan forests.
Across India's forested regions, the study projects that average carbon stock will rise by about 35%, 62%, and 97% by 2100 under low, medium, and high emissions.
Rainfall has the strongest overall influence on changes in forest carbon across India, according to the study published in IOP's Environmental Research: Climate.
