Stabilizing Climate

Forests are the lungs of our planet. And without them, breathing would be difficult. In fact without forests, we would see a precipitous spike in greenhouse gas emissions and a surge in climate change related extreme weather patterns.

Forests play a critical role in stabilizing the earth’s climate – they absorb more than a quarter of present day global GHG emissions whilst safely keeping thousands of years worth of carbon locked in their trunks, branches and soils – and thereby out of the atmosphere.

Keeping high carbon forests intact is one of the most immediate and cost effective ways to keep our climate stable.

So where are High Carbon Forests?

It turns out you don’t have to look too far. The Boreal forests that crown the north of Canada and Russia together form the world's largest and most important terrestrial carbon storehouse - holding 22% of the carbon stored on the earth's land surface. Almost twice as much carbon per unit area as tropical rainforests! In fact, the Canadian Boreal forest alone stores an estimated 186 billion tons of carbon – or in plain speak - equivalent to 27 years worth of the world's carbon emissions…or a staggering $3.7 trillion worth of carbon storage value[1].

Peat So Deep

Not to be outdone, Indonesia’s rainforests are unique in their carbon-storage capacity and form one of the most carbon dense ecosystems on the planet. In addition to the trees, the peat in which they grow is a carbon sponge. Much of Indonesia’s rainforests grow in peat that is more than 10 metres deep. That’s deep peat!

When drained to support fast-growing palms and other plantation trees, the peat decays quickly, releasing its stored carbon into the atmosphere. This common land use practice and deforestation accounts for approximately 85% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

And in recent years, Indonesia’s contribution to global GHG emissions has skyrocketed to 5% - earning this still largely rural country the dubious title of the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, second only to China and the US.

What to Do?

Each and every year, logging releases more carbon into the atmosphere in Canada than all passenger vehicles in the country. Look globally and deforestation accounts for a full 20% of global carbon emissions - more than the transportation, aviation and IT industries combined.

With world experts consistently identifying forests as a primary defence in combating climate change, it’s time to heed the signs and keep them standing. In particular, high carbon value forest regions should be protected. Keeping their long-standing carbon bank accounts under lock and key is one of our best bets of avoiding a climate crisis.