Plant biomass and carbon sequestration: case study through fieldwork carried out in the municipality of Santos João Thiago Wohnrath Mele, Pedro Paulo de Mello Souza e Lima, Rivaldo Rodrigues Novaes Júnior, Walter Barrella, Milena Ramires

Abstract

Climate change, which currently has as its main cause anthropogenic activities that generate Greenhouse Gases (GHG), significantly impacts natural and artificial environments, causing an increase in the average temperature of planet Earth, the loss of biodiversity and the vulnerability of populations, with serious implications for the world economy. In this sense, understanding the carbon cycle in nature, especially through the emission of GHG resulting from the burning of fossil fuels by motor vehicles, which present a significant increase in the fleet in the State of São Paulo, constitutes an essential factor in search for viable solutions so that carbon sequestration, through plant biomass, can be effectively implemented by industries and vehicle users. The present work, through a case study carried out in the municipality of Santos-SP, measured carbon absorbed by tree species in the region, demonstrating that the plant biomass necessary for the sequestration of carbon emitted by a popular vehicle along a year is relatively low and economically viable, imposing the need to implement effective instruments for the compensatory planting of native tree species in the region, as a way of mitigating the effects of climate change and providing greater sustainability to human activities that generate GHG.