Spreading Awareness, Encouraging Action
Tropical Forests And Climate Policy In the 1990s, about 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon were added to the atmosphere annually from global deforestation. The clearing of additional tropical rainforest will likely release an additional 87 to 130 billion metric tons of carbon globally by 2100. This is equivalent to more than a decade's release of carbon from global fossil fuel combustion at current rates.
Reducing deforestation rates 50% by 2050 and then maintaining them at this level until 2100 would avoid the direct release of up to 50 billion metric tons of carbon. Global warming may also be putting forests at risk of more frequent and severe drought, increasing the risk of wildfires. Key requirements for effective carbon-market approaches to reduce tropical deforestation include strengthened technical and institutional capacity in many developing countries. Also needed is an agreement on a system which would measure and monitor emissions reductions, and commitments to deeper reductions. Tropical deforestation has many negative impacts that may compromise the ability of tropical countries to develop sustainably. These impacts include, for example, reduction in rainfall, loss of biodiversity, degraded human health from biomass burning pollution, and the unintentional loss of productive forests. Providing economic incentives for the maintenance of forest cover can help tropical countries avoid these negative impacts and meet development goals. Source: Tropical Forests And Climate Policy, by Raymond E. Gullison, Peter C. Frumhoff, Josef G. Canadell. etc. Science Magazine Vol 316, 18 May 2007. EIGHT NORTHBROOK PARK - LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 USA TELEPHONE (781) 863-1400 - info@gwenet.org - FACSIMILE (781) 863-1441 |
