Research Branch Staff Publications

Carbon credits.

Citation:

Spittlehouse, D.L. 2002. Carbon credits. Canadian Silviculture, Fall issue pp. 10-13.

Abstract:

The decision to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol has committed Canada to a 240 Mt reduction in annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases during 2008 to 2012. The recent negotiations in Bonn and Marrakech clarified how Canada's forests fit into the Kyoto Protocol. Article 3.3, which is a mandatory article, discourages the permanent loss of forests (deforestation) and encourages the creation of new forests where they have not existed for many years (afforestation). Deforestation must be counted as an emission of carbon to the atmosphere and growth of new forest can be counted as sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere. Article 3.4 is an optional part of the Kyoto Protocol addressing the use of managed forests to sequester carbon. Forest carbon sinks have value because they can be used to offset fossil fuel emissions. BC's forests as a whole are a large carbon sink though some management areas are sources. There is a cap on how many forest sink credits Canada can claim. Allocation of this cap between the provinces and development of a Canada-wide definition of the managed forest are under review. To further complicate matters, the Canadian government maintains that because the federal government is the 'Party' to the Kyoto agreement, it owns any credits from forest sinks. There are opportunities for Canada in using forests to help offset fossil fuel emissions, at least in the near term. How long this can be continued will depend on the cost effectiveness of forest sinks as opposed to other options to reduce emissions and future rates of forest disturbance.

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