| May 10, 2007 |  |
Reducing Tropical Deforestation is Feasible, Affordable, and Essential to Avoid Dangerous Global Warming, Top Experts Say
Top forest researchers have published an article in Science that shows how reductions in tropical deforestation could lower heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere to relatively safe levels.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (May 10, 2007) – Slowing tropical deforestation is one of the most important ways to avert severe climate change, according to a new study published today in the journal Science. An international team of 11 top forest and climate researchers found that cutting deforestation rates in half by mid-century would amount to 12 percent of the emissions reductions needed to keep concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere at relatively safe levels.
"Slowing tropical deforestation won't, by itself, solve the climate problem," said Peter Frumhoff, co-author of the study and director of science and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "But for many developing countries, it is their largest source of emissions. Climate policymakers have a historic opportunity to support their efforts to find economically viable alternatives to deforestation and do their part to slow global warming. "
A widely reported earlier study had suggested that global warming could potentially dry out many tropical forests, increasing fires that release the large quantity of carbon stored in their trees into the atmosphere. The authors of the paper released today provide new evidence that tropical forests will persist in the face of climate change, especially if nations make needed cuts in both industrial and deforestation emissions.
Today's study comes as international climate negotiations are taking place this week in Bonn, Germany. Policymakers there are weighing proposals for the design of international climate policies after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. On the table is an initiative introduced by the governments of Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, and several other forest-rich developing countries that are seeking to limit their emissions from deforestation. These nations are seeking financing from the global carbon market to create economic incentives for forest conservation.
Brazil, the nation with the greatest emissions from deforestation, is a key player in determining the outcome of these negotiations. "I encourage the Brazilian government to support greater reductions in deforestation all over Brazil, especially in the Amazon," said Carlos Nobre, a climate expert at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), in São José Dos Campos, Brazil, and a study co-author. "We're all in this together, and efforts of tropical countries to reduce deforestation can complement the essential, deep reductions in emissions that industrialized nations need to make."
The Science paper follows last week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's summary report on global warming solutions. The IPCC concluded that well-designed measures to protect and restore tropical forests can be a cost-effective way to reduce emissions and create jobs, conserve biodiversity, protect watersheds, and help alleviate poverty at the same time.
Tropical deforestation currently accounts for about 20 percent of worldwide global warming emissions. Dramatically scaling it back is projected to cost less than $20 per ton of carbon dioxide, making it a cost-effective complement to needed reductions in industrial emissions, according to the IPCC.
"Forest-rich developing countries are stepping up to take responsibility for reducing their emissions." said Frumhoff, who also was a lead author on the IPCC report's assessment of forestry options to address climate change. "The United States should support their efforts and, most important, step up to take responsibility for reducing its emissions and lead efforts to avert dangerous climate change."
The authors of the Science article are: Raymond E. Gullison of the University of British Columbia, Canada; Peter C. Frumhoff of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Josep G. Canadell of the Global Carbon Project, Australia; Christopher B. Field of the Carnegie Institution; Daniel C. Nepstad of The Woods Hole Research Center; Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University; Roni Avissar of Duke University; Lisa M. Curran of Yale University; Pierre Friedlingstein of IPSL/LSCE, France; Chris D. Jones of the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, United Kingdom; and Carlos Nobre of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
