Earth Equity News

Australian Report Emphasizes Need to Protect All Forests, Not Just in Developing Countries. AFP, August 5, 2008. "Clearing natural forests in Australia would pose a greater danger to the global climate than previously thought because they hold three times as much carbon as estimated, a report released Tuesday said. The Australian National University report [Green Carbon, PDF, 47 pp] warns that all nations, not just those in the developing world, should prevent the clearing of their forests because this could release huge amounts of harmful carbon into the atmosphere. 'From a scientific perspective, green carbon accounting and protection of the natural forests in all nations should become part of a comprehensive approach to solving the climate change problem,' the report said. While current international talks focused on reducing the destruction of forests in developing countries only, the forests of nations such as Australia, Canada, Russia and the US also needed to be protected, it added... 'Protecting the carbon in Australia's and the world's natural forests is no longer an option -- it is a necessity,' report co-author Professor Brendan Mackey said."