Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation: No Hope Without Forests

HC 30, Fifth Report of Session 2008-09 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:

House of Commons - Environmental Audit Committee

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £22.00

An area of tropical forest the size of England continues to be lost each year. This gives rise to around 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, greater than global emissions from transport.

Addressing deforestation is as essential as decarbonising electricity or transport if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change. A failure to act on deforestation could double the cost of avoiding dangerous climate change to 2030.

Deforestation is caused by a range of factors, many of which are exacerbated by a growing global population and increasing consumption.

Halting deforestation requires:

• (a) support for rainforest nations to help them manage their development so that it does not allow continued deforestation;

• (b) management of the demand for commodities whose production encourages deforestation; and

• (c) the introduction of a mechanism to pay developing countries for maintaining and, in due course, recreating their forests.

The UK needs to act in all three areas if its policies on deforestation are to be successful. Ignoring any one undermines the effectiveness and durability of action in the other areas.

As part of this work the Government must:

• remove subsidies that contribute to deforestation, such as biofuels policy;

• develop sustainability standards for agricultural commodities;

• implement and enforce government timber procurement; and

• seek an EU-wide ban on illegal timber imports combined with robust sanctions.

Illegal timber imports are still a fact of life within the UK timber trade.

The economic, environmental and development case for immediate action on deforestation is clear but success is possible only if the international community works together effectively.

Extent	210 pages	ISBN	9780215532442
Size	A4	Price	£22.00
Format	Paperback	Published	29 Jun 2009
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges