The problem
Forest clear cutting and wetlands destruction are responsible for about one-third of all the extra greenhouse gases humans have put into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution. When forests are logged or wetlands are drained they release stored carbon into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
The current Kyoto Protocol has some weaknesses:
It doesn’t require countries to account for emissions from destroying forests or wetlands.
- Under the current global climate change agreement, countries may elect to continue these practices without any penalty and with no incentive for change.
Countries can use loopholes to get carbon credit while harming forests and wetlands:
- Countries can convert ancient, carbon rich forests to carbon plantations and not have to account for deforestation because ‘plantations’ are defined as forests;
- Some countries are proposing that they get a free pass on increased harvest levels as long as it is part of an approved national plan, or as long as all the forests in the country don’t become a net source of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
This situation is bad for nature, bad for the climate, and creates an uneven and uncertain playing field between countries as they work to reduce their emissions and comply with international commitments.