A vital point Ian - and completely misunderstood.. Archived Message
Posted by David Macilwain on June 4, 2019, 3:33 am, in reply to "Re: Arctic Is Thawing So Fast Scientists Are Losing Their Measuring Tools"
by most Greens and even scientists, particularly in relation to old-growth forest. If you really want to remove CO2 from the atmosphere the best action would be to fell old growth forest and either bury the charcoal from burning it for power, or use the timber in buildings. The new forest growing back would then, as you say absorb a lot more CO2. In mature forest it is impossible that the rate of accumulation of Carbon in wood is not matched by the rate of rotting and decomposition, so it is effectively carbon neutral. Here in OZ, apart from the burning of forest in wildfires, we also have to contend with a "fuel reduction burn" program, supposedly to contain uncontrollable fires should they arise. No-one even considers the emissions from the burning. Also of course the idea of using forests as some sort of offset for ongoing FF burning has been Australian policy since Kyoto, with most of our supposed cuts to emissions based on the stopping of land clearing. Even now, landowners can get government loans for "not-chopping down" forest, presumably so much for every year that the don't do anything. This has zero effect on emissions, as farmers choose areas where they never really intended to fell the trees, and get money for beer. This is a key part of our regressive government's "climate solutions fund" - the only action it is taking to address emissions, while it considers funding new coal fired power stations!! Hard to believe!
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