The solution
The U.N. Convention on Climate Change offers the opportunity for Canada and governments around the world to include requirements TO MAKE FORESTS COUNT.
The benefit
By taking this opportunity to increase incentives for protecting Earth’s remaining wilderness ecosystems, humans will help to reduce the speed of climate change. We’ll also improve prospects for the estimated 30% of wild species estimated to go extinct if human-induced global warming is not curbed. Closing loopholes in the climate agreement will mean that countries will have to account for emissions from these activities and won’t be able to abuse the system to get credit they don’t deserve.
How can it be done?
Under a new Climate Change agreement, governments could agree to become accountable for their actions to protect wilderness forests and wetlands.
Making Forests Count in the new climate agreement means countries will need to:
- Commit to protect intact forests and wetlands by setting goals and reporting on progress for the protection of greenhouse gas reservoirs;
- Agree that all developed countries must account for the impact of forest cutting and wetland destruction on the amount of carbon stored in ecosystems; All major sources of emissions must be accounted, including from clear cutting ancient forests and replacing them with young sterile plantations, logging wilderness forests to create wood products like furniture and housing, and the emerging practice of harvesting trees and brush to burn as “bio-fuel”;
- To reduce cheating, ensure transparency, and decrease uncertainty, all countries need to account for changes in these emissions from actual levels in the past; countries must not be allowed to ‘cook their books’ by comparing themselves to imaginary levels of emissions that have no bearing on reality.