GIS Assessment of Carbon Storage and Sequestration Impact Caused by Urban Development in Itaperuna-RJ, Brazil

The changes in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) have multifaceted impacts on sustainable development. Among the main ecosystem services acting on the environment, the Carbon Storage and Sequestration consists of the process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and its subsequent incorporation or storage in the form of biomass. Therefore, its understanding and modeling allow the control and instrumentalization of the biological absorption of carbon by the soil and, consequently, the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. To unravel this intricate ecosystem service, this study employs the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) methodology, specifically the Carbon Storage and Sequestration (CSS) model, within the municipality of Itaperuna in the northwest of the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. This model estimates the amount of carbon stored in an area, calculates the variations that have occurred, and predicts future storage in the same region. It does so by analyzing land use and land cover, estimating carbon sequestration alterations between different scenarios, and assessing their monetary worth. To undertake this analysis effectively, three key pieces of information are essential: delineation of two LULC scenarios (e.g., 2015 and 2020), carbon content across various LULC classes, and the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC), which evaluates potential socioeconomic repercussions due to climate change for each ton of carbon emitted. This investigation aims not only to comprehend the dynamics of land use and land cover alterations in a medium-sized city within this region but also to estimate changes in carbon stocks and sequestration resulting from LULC transformations. The study further intends to quantify the financial implications of these alterations through the application of SCC.