Forest carbon

Carbon sequestration through agriculture could potentially take the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of cars off the road and provide farmers with a new revenue stream worth billions of dollars.

Ann Arbor, MI (Vocus) September 7, 2010

The country's forests are at the centre of a new global scramble to 'buy up' carbon, but as Thembi Mutch reports, is the process really going to benefit the environment or people?

Protection of forests for their carbon value through Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) schemes has been increasing in recent years. These schemes concentrate on preserving forest cover, and thus have great potential for the conservation of natural biodiversity. Some (REDD+) initiatives already specifically take biodiversity protection into account.

Version 3.2 of the Climate Action Reserve’s Forest Project Protocol continues to ensure integrity of forest offset projects

GISBORNE will be a net winner from the emissions trading scheme, promises Climate Change Minister Nick Smith.

At a well-attended meeting last night, Dr Smith managed to tame a potentially hostile audience through judicious use of the expressions:

“Good question”, “You’re absolutely right” and “That deserves a thorough answer — I’ll answer each point in turn”.