European Commission publishes forest protection strategy

21 October 2008

The European Union should build into international climate negotiations a goal of stopping the destruction of global forest cover by 2030, the European Commission said October 17. This could be done by using auction revenues from emissions trading to boost afforestation, by allowing more forestry carbon credit trading, and by requiring companies to ensure their timber purchases were legally sourced, writes Stephen Gardner. The proposals were contained in two documents launched by EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas: a strategy for incorporating forestry in an international climate deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, and specific legislative proposals to combat illegal logging. Dimas said global action to reduce deforestation could be financed by a “global forest carbon mechanism” to which the EU would contribute five percent of monies raised by auctioning emissions rights to EU emissions trading scheme participants after 2012. This could raise €1.5-2.5 billion annually by 2020, according to the Commission. In addition, forestry credits meeting stringent quality criteria could start to be allowed into carbon markets, meaning more funds for forest preservation, Dimas said. On illegal logging the Commission said that companies selling timber in the EU should be obliged to check it was legally sourced. Dimas said action was vital to stop forest destruction, currently running at 13 million hectares per year. The proposed EU measures marked “the first time any region in the world adopts such a comprehensive approach.” However, Owen Epsley of Friends of the Earth said that forest carbon credits would “create a land grab for forests and would give industry an excuse for failing to reduce their climate-changing emissions.” A version of this article was published at Climate Change Corporation.

 

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