Forests & Carbon Sinks

Deforestation

Deforestation releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere mainly because of decaying plant mass and decomposing soil structures.

As such, deforestation is the one other significant factor causing climate change apart from burning fossil fuels.

Countries with high deforestation rates, e.g. Brazil and Papua New Guinea, are eager to pull deforestation into the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. They hope to create a financial incentive in the fight against deforestation. 

It is possible that such a scheme will be established. However, these proposals are at an early stage.

Forest sinks

When plants grow they remove some CO₂ from the atmosphere and, with the help of photosynthesis, use it to build up their substance.

In principle, this could be used to remove some atmospheric CO₂ and build it into long-living plant substance such as trees. The process is known as forest carbon sequestration.

It is proposed that activities such as afforestation, reforestation and forest restoration could be included under the Kyoto Protocol since they help to remove some CO₂.

While conceding that forest sinks could play a certain role when managed carefully, WWF is opposed to using forest sinks under the Kyoto Protocol. We are convinced that the focus of climate policy should rather be on permanent emission reductions. There are also strong concerns that badly designed sinks projects will have their own damaging impact on nature and may not actually result in any real CO₂ removal. Thirdly WWF is concerned about long-term security – trees might bind CO₂, but let them burn, or fall down and rot, and the CO₂ is released again.

However, at COP9 in Milan limited forest sinks were agreed. WWF is now trying to ensure that model sinks projects are designed and managed in appropriate ways.