Forestry, carbon and climate change local and international perspectives

Transcription

1 Forestry, carbon and climate change local and international perspectives Forests and the UNFCCC process an overview Dr Eugene Hendrick COFORD

2 Presentation will focus on Forests and climate change mitigation UNFCCC policies and measures in relation to forests UNFCCC process and forestry-related issues on the table

3 Forests - importance to the global climate More carbon in forests than in the atmosphere (Prentice et al 2001) ~4500 Gt CO2 in forest ecosystems, compared with ~3000 Gt CO2, the level with atmospheric concentration levels of 380 ppm [3000 Gt CO2] [4500 Gt CO2]

4 Forests exchange with atmospheric CO2 One third of global atmospheric CO2 exchanges with vegetation on an annual basis [30%] CO2

5 Overall mitigation strategy is to put back some of what s been lost and reduce future losses from forests historic losses of ~ 625 Gt CO2 ~1/2 of global forest stocks current losses from defor running at ~ 5-8 Gt CO2/yr ~625 Gt CO2 6-8 Gt CO2/yr

6 Forests climate change mitigation measures Afforestation/reforestation Forest management Reduced deforestation Harvested wood product management Forestry products for bioenergy to replace fossil fuels

7 Mitigation by replacement of forest stocks and avoidance of emissions in the forestry sector constrained by technical, economic and social factors FAR IPCC: economic potential of forestry measures 2-4 Gt CO2/yr with CO2 < 20/t mainly through reduced deforestation

8 Gullison et al. (2007) The contribution of reduced tropical deforestation towards achieving a 450 ppm stabilization pathway

9 Conclusions Forest-related mitigation activities can considerably reduce emissions from sources and increase CO2 removals by sinks at low costs, and can be designed to create synergies with adaptation and sustainable development (high agreement, much evidence) FAR Report IPCC (2007) But sink capacity and ability to reduce deforestation is constrained and emission reductions are the long term solution to climate change

10 UNFCCC policies and measures in relation to forests Convention Article 4 (1) (a) Each of these Parties [developed countries] shall adopt national policies and take corresponding measures on protecting and enhancing its greenhouse gas sinks and reservoirs. Fully in accordance with the sustainable forest management (SFM) paradigm

11 Kyoto Protocol to UN FCCC Developed countries agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 5% below their 1990 level Forest relevant articles 3.3 affor/refor, 3.4 forest management, 3.7 and 12 (Clean Development Mechanism)

12 Marrakesh Accords to the Kyoto Protocol Next level of detail down from the Protocol Overall MA outline how a country must calculate and record its annual emission + sets up the system of review by expert review teams (ERTs). Forestry - MA set out definitions, estimation of areas of land, the five forest ecosystem carbon pools that need to be included, caps on forest management, CDM inclusion rules, and a number of specific accounting rules The key forestry document is FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3

13 Common reporting formats CRFs and IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Final level of detail reporting tools for forestry under Articles 3.3 and 3.4

14 Cascading level of decision making and increasing detail from the Convention down to the CRF and GPG ( ) The Marrakesh Accords to The Kyoto Protocol

15 UNFCCC process and forestry-related issues on the table Political nature of UNFCCC negotiation process forestry issues have to take that into account Most of the forestry issues dealt with first at expert level in contact groups under the SBSTA If lack of agreement at expert level then political engagement at COP Reducing emissions from deforestation (RED) in developing countries biggest issue currently on the forestry agenda

16 Countries with large net changes in forest area ( )

17 RED issue will be one of the main agenda items at next COP in Indonesia but needs to be dealt with in context of overall post 2012 landscape Financial Times 13 September Forest nations press for carbon credits Rachmat Witoelar, Indonesia s environment minister, said Brazil, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Congo and Indonesia, with 80 per cent of the world s tropical forest cover, had formed the Forestry Eight, whose goal is to have forest preservation included in the successor to the Kyoto protocol on climate change, which expires in Under Kyoto, only reforestation and afforestation are eligible for carbon credits

18 Harvested wood products and whether or not they should be included in land-use accounting will also be an issue for the post 2012 negotiations

19 In the long term, carbon will be one of the goals that drive land-use decisions Fourth Assessment Report IPCC 2007

20 Thank you for your attention For further information contact Forest-related decisions referred to (FCCC/ /) can be accessed through