Achieving a global forest transition, that is, a shift from net deforestation to reforestation, is essential for climate change mitigation. However, both land-based climate change mitigation policy and research on forest transitions neglect key processes that relieve pressure from forests, but cause emissions elsewhere (‘hidden emissions’). Here, we identify three major causes of hidden emissions of forest transitions, that is, emissions from agricultural intensification, from woodfuel substitution, and from land displacement. Taken together, these emissions may compromise the climate change mitigation effect of national forest transitions. We propose to link analyses of hidden emissions of forest transitions with quantifications of full socio-ecological greenhouse-gas accounts and analyses of their politics. Such an integration allows for drawing lessons for effective and just climate change mitigation policies.

实现全球森林过渡，即从原始森林砍伐到重新造林的转变，对于缓解气候变化至关重要。但是，基于陆地的减缓气候变化政策和对森林转型的研究都忽略了缓解森林压力的关键过程，但却在其他地方造成了排放（“隐性排放”）。在这里，我们确定了森林过渡的隐性排放的三个主要原因，即农业集约化排放，木质燃料替代和土地置换引起的排放。这些排放合在一起可能会损害国家森林过渡对缓解气候变化的影响。我们建议将对森林过渡的隐性排放的分析与对整个社会生态温室气体账户的量化及其政治分析联系起来。