Forests of Carbon
Mountain pine beetle devastation in BC has resulted in 400-plus million cubic metres of dead wood, enough to rebuild the three cities of Toronto, Montreal and New York. This one ecological disaster, the largest in North America, means that BC’s 60 million hectares of forests are now a net emitter of greenhouse gases, and the province will be unable to reach its goal of reducing its GHG emissions 30% by 2020.
Study, “Managing BC’s Forests For A Cooler Planet,” by Ben Parfitt, a collaborative work of environmentalists, labour unions and academics, proposes a revolutionary change in BC’s forestry practices. The emphasis would shift from the maximum amount of cut that forests can sustain to the maximum amount of carbon that can be sequestered in trees and wood products – from an Annual Allowable Cut to a Carbon Cut Calculation (CCC).
We Are the Stewards of Carbon
As we learn more about global warming, we continue to recognize that decreasing industrial emissions of carbon is always the No. 1 priority. In Canada, we have the additional opportunity and responsibility to be effective carbon stewards by maintaining large areas of our boreal forest off-limits to industrial disturbance.
Is Global Warming Good for Canada?
Voodoo economists, Part 2: Robert Mendelsohn says global warming is “a good thing for Canada.”
Great thanks to Joseph Romm of Climate Progress.org for this article. The Canadian Parliament will return from their forced absence on January 26, and this post should be a must-read for them. Be sure to visit Joe’s site and read the interesting comments he gets.
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