Effectiveness of Forest-Based Carbon Offsets Questioned

February 3, 2009

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

forest-based carbon offsets may not be as effective as some think, Fox News reports.

Trees grow slowly and “the small print on tree-planting offsets typically indicate a 40-year maturity,” said Adam Stein, co-founder of TerraPass, a San Francisco-based offset company.

Stein says forests carry inherent risks because when trees die, they release the carbon they’ve absorbed during their lifetimes. TerraPass doesn’t offer any forestry options for its customers.

However companies, such as Carbonfund.org, that sell reforestation offsets have no doubt about their effectiveness. The organization sets deadlines for its reforestation projects. For example, the amount of CO2 sequestered by the Nicaragua project is measured only for the first 40 years.

In other offset related news, new U.N. data shows that the issued supply of Kyoto Protocol carbon offsets has grown by a fifth in the past three months, reported Reuters.

For the quarter ended December, Certified Emissions Reduction credits grew by 45.7 million, up 29 percent from 35.5 million issued in the third quarter of 2008.

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Enhance Sustainability. Improve Profitability.

Learn how at the SAP Sustainability Resource Center. >>

Unclear about the EPA's new GHG Rule?

Learn how it could affect your business. >>

EPA mandatory emissions reporting starts Jan 1st

CSA Standards can help your organization get ready for compliance. Find out how. >>

Product Environmental Compliance Best Practices

How to achieve compliance at a significantly lower cost. Download the full report. >>

Join the Discussion

Reader Comments

The Fox News piece is based on a 2007 essay and not representative of current thinking on reforestation by scientists, experts and certification bodies.

An article by Lester Brown of Earth Policy Institute for example, notes,

“Deforestation is no longer just a matter of local flooding, but also rising seas worldwide and the many other effects of climate change. Nature has just raised the ante on protecting forests.”

Reforestation also helps buy critical time in the fight on global warming while market transformation occurs to more widespread use of clean, renewable energy.

Ivan Chan | February 3rd, 2009

this article is rightfully concerned about project that apply forward crediting to forest projects. There is of course a permanance risk assigned to any forest. However, all credible ghg programs do not issue forward credits for forests, but only issue credits on the verified amount of CO2 actually sequestered in a forest over a past period. Two examples are the CDM and the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS)

Robert Dornau | February 5th, 2009

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

11/20/2009
11/19/2009
11/18/2009

Charts [ see all ]

European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990

S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks

Nike Tops Annual Climate Action Scores

Oceans May Trap more Carbon than Forests

Jobs

View All Jobs >> Post a Job >>

Comments and Discussions

Trade Association on Trade Group on EPA Chemical Regs: ‘If Everything is a Priority, Then Nothing is a Priority’
"Seriously… that..."

Gary Markowitz on Supermarkets Tackle Emissions Reductions, Fuel Efficiency
"Supermarkets waste over 10 percent of their energy through improper..."

peter in ireland on Ontario May Follow California’s Lead on TV Energy Efficiency
"Governor Schwarzenegger is shooting himself in the foot! 1...."

Environmental Leader on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"The survey respondents (the PDF report mentions 4,000 respondents in 38..."

Jake on UPS Trying New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks
"A point of clarification: the Reuters press release referenced herein reports that 20 UPS will purchase..."

Custom Organic Shirts on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"90% of North Americans believe it is urgent to get a global climate..."

peter dublin on California City’s Green Building Ordinance Applies to Commercial Buildings
"Why energy efficiebnt regulation on buildings –..."

Environmental Leader