Forests are a key part of the climate equation. They capture and store carbon, create rain clouds, shade the land, filter our water, make fresh air and provide critical homes for our wildlife.
Forests are a key part of the climate equation. They capture and store carbon, create rain clouds, shade the land, filter our water, make fresh air and provide critical homes for our wildlife.
Contrary to the longstanding view that ageing forests are carbon neutral or even pollute more than they absorb, new evidence shows that forests that reach peak maturity do not stop soaking up and storing carbon. A team of scientists have recently searched literature and databases for forest carbon-flux estimates. In the 11/8/08 edition of Nature, …
Besides the new changes to the Tax Act, proposed carbon markets would further encourage forest destruction. The logging interests are trying to stitch it all up. This sounds arse-about but read on. “Native forests, the less efficient resource for forestry industry competitiveness, are tagged for wood production with lost opportunities for the job they do …
Deforestation in the tropics causes about one quarter of anthropogenic carbon emissions globally. Now, an international team of economists has demonstrated that leaving the trees standing is a very cost-effective way to reduce global carbon emissions. While afforestation – planting trees – is allowed under the Kyoto Protocol as a way for developed nations to …
The rich, wet undisturbed forests of Victoria hold over 2,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare in the above-ground biomass. These are astronomical numbers that are far larger than the 90 tonnes the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was using as the default value. The forests of SE Australia, Tasmania and Queensland have an extremely …
Wild untouched forests store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated and three times more than plantation forests. A world-first study of “green carbon” by scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) looked at natural forests’ role in climate change. They say our forests have been underestimated as a solution against global warming.Despite this …
The rich, wet undisturbed forests of Victoria hold over 2,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare in the above-ground biomass.These are astronomical numbers that are far larger than the 90 tonnes the International Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) was using as the default value. The forests of SE Australia, Tasmania and Queensland have an extremely important carbon …
Check out these two statements on measuring carbon in forests. The first is from a recent draft Federal Government policy paper saying that we can’t measure forest carbon properly yet, so we’ll just ignore it in the overall carbon tally for Australia. The second is from a Federal Government media release saying that Australia is …
“Is carbon trading a shallow exercise in carbon-shifting and guilt abatement?” Forests – a major player in climate calming. Protecting forests and reforestation could account for 31% of government greenhouse targets set for 2020 according to a report from global heavyweight business consultants McKinsey and Company. The McKinsey Report found that Australia could cut emissions …
The natural diversity of unlogged forests makes them very robust. This healthy resilience is extremely valuable at a time when climate disturbance is impacting more harshly on disturbed environments. But besides being sturdy arks and biological refuges, forests are one of the worlds best carbon capture vessels. While the world authorities try to work out …
New research has found that meeting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may rely less on renewable energy than on the forests. As reported in the last Potoroo, forests seem to be the key to meeting Kyoto and post-Kyoto goals for reducing CO2 emissions. The findings, published in the British journal Energy Policy, could lead …
