From Bill Burrows, Tropical Beef Centre
Rockhampton, Queensland
Fred Pearce’s concerns that Australia had extracted an unfair advantage under
the Kyoto protocol simply because it has reduced its deforestation activity since 1990
(Forum, 17 January, p 48)
misses a critical rider in the so-called “Australia Clause” of that agreement.
This clause (Article 3, paragraph 7) says: “Those parties included in Annex 1
for whom land use change and forestry constituted a net source of greenhouse gas
emissions in 1990 shall include in their 1990 emissions base year or period the
aggregate anthropogenic carbon dioxide equivalent emissions minus removals in
1990 from land use change for the purpose of calculating their assigned amount”
(2010 target).
The rider assumes that Australia’s land use change and forestry sector is a
net source of greenhouse gas emissions, whereas there is accumulating evidence
that the thickening of woodlands not being cleared actually makes them a net
sink. This unaccounted-for woodland sink should exceed 100 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide per year, and could even exceed 200 million tonnes for Australia
if woody plant growth below as well as above ground is included.
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