UN climate conference skips forest fires<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, New Delhi<\/p>\n
As the ongoing eighth United Nations conference on climate change
\nmoved slowly to its sixth day on Monday, representatives from
\nlocal communities in developing countries found that some key
\nissues on global warming -- like emissions coming from forest
\nfires -- are not being covered by the meeting.<\/p>\n
The latest round of the United Nations Framework Convention on
\nClimate Change that set the final details of the 1997 Kyoto
\nProtocol on global warming -- which is expected to come into
\neffect in March next year -- focuses more on developed countries'
\ncommitment to make specific cuts in their output of carbon-based
\nemissions from their 1990 levels by a 2008 to 2012 deadline.<\/p>\n
Discussions on Monday still centered on a clean development
\nmechanism (CDM) under which industrialized countries are allowed
\nto meet part of their carbon emissions reduction commitments by
\ncarrying out reforestation and clean energy projects in
\ndeveloping countries.<\/p>\n
"Tropical deforestation is a significant part of climate
\nchange and should be addressed more specifically by the
\ninternational community," said coordinator of the Amazon
\nInstitute of Environmental Research Paulo Moutinho on Monday.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, he said the widespread burning of Brazil's
\nAmazon forests that emitted great amounts of carbon was excluded
\nfrom the conference's agenda.<\/p>\n
Every year, he said, almost 200 million tonnes of carbon -- or
\nequal to 2 percent to 3 percent of global emissions -- were
\nemitted into the air due to forest fires, adding that the problem
\naffected the entire world.<\/p>\n
Forests contain vast quantities of carbon. Some forests act as
\n"sinks" by absorbing carbon from the air while forests whose
\ncarbon flows are in balance act as "reservoir". Deforestation and
\nchanges in land use make the world's forests a net source of
\ncarbon dioxide.<\/p>\n
According to the United Nations report, deforestation is the
\nsecond largest source of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide from the
\nburning of fossil fuels is the largest single source of
\ngreenhouse gas emissions from human activities.<\/p>\n
The report says that when forests are cleared for agriculture
\nor development, most of the dioxide in the burned or decomposing
\ntrees escapes to the atmosphere. However, when new forests are
\nplanted the growing trees absorb carbon dioxide, removing it from
\nthe atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Recent net deforestation has occurred mainly in the tropics.
\nThere is a great deal of scientific uncertainty about emissions
\nfrom deforestation and other land-use changes, but it is
\nestimated that from 800 million to 2.4 billion tonnes of carbon
\nare released globally every year.<\/p>\n
The recent climate disasters -- from drought in India to
\nfloods in Europe -- according to the UN, are strong reminders of
\nthe consequence of global warming. The gradual warming of the
\nplanet resulting in, among other things, higher sea levels,
\nthreatening island nations.<\/p>",
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