Forests Could Accelerate Global Warming
LONDON, United Kingdom, November 9, 2000 (ENS) - Two reports
released yesterday warn against relying on carbon "sinks" to ward
off climate change.
Relying on forest plantations to store carbon pollution from the
atmosphere and combat climate change could accelerate the
destruction of old growth native forest around the world,
according to a report commissioned by Greenpeace and Worldwide
Fund for Nature.
In a separate report, the United Kingdom's Hadley Centre for
Climate Prediction and Research says that climate change will
accelerate because carbon dioxide will be released from soils and
decaying forests as the climate warms.
It warns further against relying on sinks - forests that are
planted as a means of combatting climate change by soaking up
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - because they also absorb
more sunlight which would contribute to global warming.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the leading greenhouse gas, so called
because it accumulates in the atmosphere, traps solar energy and
leads to global warming
Both reports challenge the assumption that carbon storage in
trees will yield environmental benefits. "The economics of the
developing carbon sequestration market is becoming an additional
driver for clearing native forests," concludes the Greenpeace/WWF
report "The Clearcut Case: How the Kyoto Protocol Could Become a
Driver for Deforestation."
Certain countries are known to be pushing for forests to be used
as carbon stores rather than reducing emissions of the greenhouse
gases that cause global warming. The issue is expected to be one
of the most controversial topics at talks to accelerate emissions
cuts under the Kyoto Protocol in The Hague, Netherlands next
week.
The Kyoto Protocol is an addition to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change governing the emissions of six
greenhouse gases from 39 industrialized countries. These
countries have committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an
average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
But the treaty must be ratified for these commitments to take
effect. The Sixth Conference of the Parties to the convention in
The Hague, from November 13 to 24, is seen by many as the last
chance for this to happen.
The United States, Japan, Australia and Canada are promoting the
idea of forest carbon storage as part of their strategies to
lower emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Greenpeace and
other environmental groups claim the policy waters down
commitments made in Kyoto in 1997.
Canada, Australia and the U.S. are all struggling to cut
emissions. Canada has committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions
by six percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, but saw emissions
actually rise by 13 percent between 1990 and 1998. The U.S. saw
its emissions rise 11.5 percent for the same period and Australia
16 percent.
The Greenpeace/WWF report examines several Australian projects as
case studies of what could emerge as "a dangerous new
international threat to forests and the species they support."
The report implicates Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO),
Japan's largest power utility, in the destruction of native
forest in the Tamar Valley in the Australian state of Tasmania.
The forest was replaced by fast growing eucalyptus plantations
intended for carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol, says the
report.
TEPCO's investment of A$10 million (US$5 million) in Tamar Tree
Farms accounts for 3,000 hectares of eucalyptus plantation which
are expected to yield TEPCO 130,000 tonnes of carbon credits that
could be offset against rising carbon emissions in Japan, the
report continues.
The report claims the project is not an isolated incident, but
compatible with the forest clearance program of Australian and
Tasmanian authorities.
"Claiming credit for carbon stored in trees is a blatant attempt
by some countries to cheat on their Kyoto commitments," said Bill
Hare, Greenpeace's climate policy director. "This report shows
that it is also bad for the environment, leading in some cases to
the destruction of old growth forest to make way for 'carbon
sink' plantations."
"The only way to combat climate change is through deep cuts in
emissions of global warming gases," said Jennifer Morgan,
director of WWF's Climate Change Campaign. "The Tasmania project
is an example of what could go terribly wrong for forests around
the world if Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States get
their way.
"We could see native forest destruction accelerate but still see
no benefit for the global climate. This is potentially the
largest of a number of loopholes in the Kyoto climate treaty that
governments urgently need to close."
Greenpeace and WWF are calling on the 184 parties to the Climate
Convention to exclude carbon sinks from the Kyoto Protocol, and
from its Clean Development Mechanism. The Clean Development
Mechanism would allow industrialized countries to claim credit
for emissions reduction projects in developing countries.
In a research paper published in this week's edition of Nature,
Hadley Centre scientists argue that simply planting forests may
be less effective in slowing global warming than previously
expected.
These are the conclusions of scientists studying the effects of
vegetation, soils and oceans on climate change.
Working with Southampton Oceanography Centre, the researchers
describe the world's first computer model of climate which
includes the effect of climate induced changes in vegetation and
the carbon cycle.
Using this model, the team led by Dr. Peter Cox predicts that
global warming is likely to cause the world's soils to emit more
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, leading to further warming of
the climate.
They found that climate change could threaten the viability of
the Amazonian rain forest, which would also release carbon
dioxide and contribute to faster global warming. The model
predicts a rise in average global land temperatures of 6°C (or
11°F) from 2000 to 2100, which is 2.0°C (or 4°F) higher than
predictions made before these effects were included.
"Our initial results suggest that vegetation and soils, which
currently absorb about a quarter of human made carbon dioxide
emissions, could accelerate future climate change by releasing
carbon to the atmosphere as the planet warms," said Dr. Cox.
"This potentially large climate feedback needs to be investigated
further."
A second research paper shows that planting new forests will not
slow global warming as much as expected. The Kyoto Protocol
allows countries to plant forests in order to offset some of
their CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels. But forests are
generally darker than the underlying terrain, and hence absorb
more of the sun's heat.
"This is particularly true in snowy conditions when grass and
soil are covered by snow but trees remain exposed," said the
paper. The extra absorption of sunlight causes the world's
northern forests to have a warming effect, which would offset
part of the cooling effect of CO2 uptake.
In some areas of Canada and Siberia, the paper suggests this
warming effect is actually greater than the relative cooling
afforded by CO2 uptake. Planting forests in these areas would
therefore increase warming rather than decrease it as intended.
"Natural forests are key for maintaining biodiversity and
rainfall patterns, but in colder regions, growing new forests may
not be as useful as expected for reducing climate warming," said
the author Dr. Richard Betts. "In some areas it could even be
counterproductive."
Reacting to the Hadley Centre's reports, UK Environment Minister
Michael Meacher said real emissions reductions are the way to
meet Kyoto targets. On sinks, he added, "We must be cautious
about them."
"The storms and floods being experienced across the UK are a
wakeup call to the serious environmental threat posed by climate
change, and increasingly expert research is bringing the message
home even more."
Environment News Service (ENS)
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