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Forests and other land ecosystems failed to curb climate change in 2023 as intense drought in the Amazon rainforest and record wildfires in Canada hampered their natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide, according to a study presented on Monday. Source: Reuters That means a record amount of carbon dioxide entered Earth’s atmosphere last year, further feeding global warming, the researchers said. Plant life helps to slow climate change by taking in huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas driving global warming. Forests and other land ecosystems on average absorb nearly a third of annual emissions from fossil fuels, industry and other human causes. But in 2023, that carbon sink collapsed, according to study co-author Philippe Ciais of the Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), a French research organization. “The sink is a pump, and we are pumping less carbon from the atmosphere into the land,” Mr Ciais said in an interview. “Suddenly the pump is choking, and it’s pumping less.” As a result, the growth rate of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere jumped 86% in 2023 compared to 2022, the researchers said. Scientists at Tsinghua University in China, the University of Exeter in England and LSCE led the research into what caused the shift. Their study was presented at the International Carbon Dioxide Conference in Manaus, Brazil. A major driver was record high temperatures globally that dried out vegetation in the Amazon and other rainforests, preventing them from taking up more carbon while also fuelling record fires in Canada, the study found. “Imagine your plants at home: If you don’t water them, they’re not very productive, they don’t grow, they don’t take up carbon,” said Stephen Sitch, a study co-author and carbon expert at the University of Exeter. “Put that on a big scale like the Amazon forest,” Mr Sitch told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference The study is still in the process of peer review with an academic journal, but three scientists who were not involved in the research told Reuters that its conclusions were sound. They said that dips in land carbon sinks tend to happen in years affected by the El Nino climate phenomenon, like 2023. But the record high temperatures being driven by climate change made last year’s dip particularly extreme. Also, the consequences of the dip are more severe than in the past because humans are now causing the emission of more carbon dioxide than ever before. The scientists cautioned that Earth’s carbon sink varies widely year to year, and a single year alone will not spell doom. But it would be alarming if what was observed in 2023 becomes a trend, they added. “This is a warning,” said Richard Birdsey of Woodwell Climate Research Centre in the United States, who was not involved in the study. “There’s a good chance that years like 2023 are going to be more common.” The less carbon the land ecosystems absorb, the less fossil fuels the world can burn before humankind blows past global climate targets, said Anthony Walker, an ecosystem modeler at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States who was not involved in the study. “We cannot count on ecosystems to bail us out in the future,” said Trevor Keenan, an ecosystem scientist at University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the study.  

Russian forces have begun using wooden drones made from plywood and styrofoam to locate Ukrainian air defence systems. Source: msn According to Tech these unconventional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been spotted over Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, with Ukrainian forces encountering these mysterious devices for the first time. According to Andrii Cherniak, a representative of the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence, these new drones are equipped with cameras and Ukrainian SIM cards. The use of Ukrainian SIM cards is strategic, allowing the drones to transmit images back to Russia without raising alarms that would occur if Russian SIM cards were used. This tactic also provides the drones with the best possible network coverage across Ukraine. The wooden drones, though not armed with explosives, serve a crucial reconnaissance role. They are primarily used to identify and pinpoint the locations of Ukrainian air defence systems. Despite their rudimentary construction, these drones pose a significant financial challenge for Ukraine. The cost of intercepting them with missiles is high, which makes these low-cost drones an effective tool for Russia. Reports suggest that Russia has been refining its drone technology and tactics, using these wooden UAVs more frequently to gain an upper hand in the conflict. This development allows Russia to enhance the effectiveness of its missile and drone strikes by targeting key defensive positions in Ukraine. In response to these tactics, Ukrainian forces have been proactive. Recently, they launched a record-breaking strike on the Olenya air base, hitting a valuable Russian Tu-22M3 bomber.  

FSC is terminating the Trademark License Agreement (TLA) of the eight certificate holders belonging to the Vinda group through a mutually agreed termination agreement. Hence, the Vinda group can no longer be associated with FSC because it was recently acquired by the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group. FSC disassociated from the RGE group, which includes APRIL, in August 2013.  Source: Timberbiz According to the mutual termination agreement: The TLAs of all the Vinda certificate holders will be terminated effective 30 September 2024. Therefore, after the termination becomes effective, these companies can no longer produce products with FSC claims, and they cannot claim that they are FSC-certified. The liquidation period of all FSC-labelled products produced up to and including 30 September 2024 may be sold with an FSC label until 31 December 2024. This means that Vinda can no longer sell products with FSC claims after this date. Vinda’s customers who bought products produced by Vinda as FSC-certified before the end of the liquidation period will be able to claim that they are FSC-certified without any time restrictions. RGE’s acquisition of the Vinda group by RGE makes them a part of this disassociated corporate group. According to FSC’s Policy for Association, when a valid certificate holder is acquired by a disassociated corporate group, FSC terminates the company’s TLA and the certification body terminates their FSC certificate. The Policy for Association stipulates that when FSC disassociates from a corporate group due to Policy for Association violations, all entities belonging to that group are barred from entering the FSC system through certification as long as the disassociation is valid. Read more about the implications of disassociation, especially when a certificate holder is acquired by a disassociated corporate group in this set of FAQs. Vinda is a hygiene products company in Asia headquartered in China. Therefore, the termination of their FSC certificates will have implications that affect its suppliers and customers. The terminated Vinda certificate holders are: License – Organization Name FSC-C119971 – Vinda Paper (China) Co., Ltd. FSC-C119971 – Vinda Paper (China) Co., Ltd. Guangdong Branch FSC-C119971 – Vinda Paper (China) Co., Ltd. Jiangmen Branch FSC-C119971 – Vinda Paper (China) Co., Ltd. Xinhui Branch FSC-C161508 – Vinda Trading Co., Ltd. FSC-C133911 – Vinda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. FSC-C133911 – Vinda Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd. FSC-C106732 – Vinda Household Paper (China) Limited FSC-C117913 – Vinda Paper Industrial (H.K.) Co., Limited FSC-C158078 – Vinda Personal Care (Guangdong) Company Limited FSC-C125756 – Vinda Paper (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. FSC-C136725 – Forton Enterprises Limited Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), the corporation that owns APRIL, announced the acquisition of Vinda Group on 22 March 2024. FSC disassociated from the APRIL group in August 2013, hence, currently no entity of that corporate group is eligible for association with FSC. Since October 2023, FSC has been facilitating APRIL’s remedy process. After successfully completing the remedy process, all companies belonging to the APRIL/RGE group, including those from the Vinda Group, may become eligible for association and certification. The completion of a remedy process may take several years.