Simulation of the plausible climate effects of ecological restoration programs in china

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the climate effect of ecological restoration programs in China. The fourth assessment report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4) indicated that the human activities are a significant influencing factor of climate change. Deforestation, grassland degradation, and desertification, which are mainly induced by human activities, have been greatly intensified due to the irrational exploitation of the natural resources, rapid population growth, and the expansion of road network in the past decades. Some ecological restoration programs have been recently carried out, e.g., Green for Grain Project, which can affect the climate through not only the carbon sink but also the thermal properties of the land surface.