Ungulate Stands Management
The Effect of Carbon in the World and the
Role of Carbon in Forest Management
Guangyu Nie
Mar 7, 2015
Abstract
Most people believe in that climate change and global warming may gradually destroy
our plant. To save people from climate change, reducing of carbon emissions and
carbon stock managements may help people reducing the carbon in atmosphere and
eventually control the climate change. This paper writes about the necessity of
reducing of carbon emissions and introduces the role of carbon in forest management
in BC. This paper also discusses the challenge that carbon stock in BC may face to
and the conflict of carbon trade and offset for developing countries and developed
countries.
Introductions to Climate change and carbon emissions
There is a consensus that climate is changing into warmer every year and global
warming is seriously threating the lives of people. There are some authoritative
reports published by United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) detailedly report the climate change and its consequence. As it reported in
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Ungulate Stands Management
Climate Change 2007, the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the surface temperature of the world had
increased about 0.74°c during the nearly one century industrialization. If the
temperature increases for 1 °c, the corals in Great Barrier Reef Australia could all die.
The 2°c of temperature increase could make ice cover of Greenland all melt and then
increase the sea-level for 7 meters. As a conclusion of the report, The 2009 United
Nations Climate Change Conference claimed that the maximum of global warming
that people can tolerate is 2 °c compared to the temperature before industrialization in
1750s. so the challenge for the world is to keep the stabilization of the temperature
and ensure it would not increase by 2°c at the end of the 22th century.
The cause of climate change is also published in the report. It is a high possibility that
the reason for most of the observed increase in global average temperature is
anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG). This conclusion is so popular that most of
people over the world believe in it and made it become a value judgment. In order to
control the climate change, what people can do is to control the emission of the
greenhouse gas. There is also a data published in 2014 by AR5 that carbon dioxide
emissions for future are only about 700 billion tons to prevent the over control of
climate change. Compare to the emission of anthropogenic GHG in 2010, the
emission should be reduced by 40% to 70% before 2050 (450 ppm for the carbon
dioxide concentration) and eventually achieve to 0 emission in 2100. If we do nothing
to reduce the emission, the temperature may increase by 4°c by the end of this
century.
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Ungulate Stands Management
Cap-and-trade System and Carbon Offset
The emergence of Cap-and-trade System and Carbon Offset result from the GHG
emission. As this paper mentioned before that there is a constant amount of carbon
emission for the future if people want to control the climate change. According to the
data, average of carbon emission per person was 1.4 tons, which need to change to 0.8
tons if it could maintain the population (6.5 billion).
However, it was hard to achieve the goal because industries need develop all the time
and the reduction of carbon emission is a long time work. Cap-and trade System came
up to reduce the pressure of reduction of carbon emission.
Cap-and-trade System is a system to see carbon emission as a product. In fact,
because the amount of carbon emission is seriously limited and it much less than the
need for development especially in developing countries, carbon emission can be seen
as a scarce product. The “cap” is the target amount for reducing emissions and “trade”
is the way to buy carbon credit. Emitters who need pay more for reducing emission
and who need higher development can buy carbon credit from other emitters. The
total amount of emissions can be under control with some more emissions for some
emitters. As a carbon offset, emitters can buy it to compensate the more emissions
(Greig and Bull, 2009).
Carbon management of forests in BC
Carbon can be stored as well. A forest ecosystem is the best example of carbon store.
Half of a tree’s mass is carbon. Carbon can be stored as in biomass in trees. Globally,
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Ungulate Stands Management
forests, grasslands and wetlands are all sinks for carbon. Relevant data show that the
forest area is only about one third of the total land area, but the forest vegetation in
terrestrial carbon reserves accounted for almost half of the total. Trees absorb large
amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by photosynthesis and slow down the
greenhouse effect (Kurz, 2008). This is commonly referred to as the forest carbon
sinks. However, forests can also be seen as source of carbon. Because of
anthropogenic and natural disturbance, forests can release a large amount of carbon.
For example, effects of fire and insects may seriously reduce the volume of tree and
significantly release the carbon. Additionally, because the woods are important
products for forest industry, the harvesting in forests is a common activity that results
in emission of carbon dioxide.
Logically, emitters buy carbon credits from sellers with allocated permits. For
long-term management of carbon trade, sellers who have forests should well manage
their stands and carbon stock.
For the world, management of forest can transfer more carbon to trees and soils
With promotion to reduce GHG all over the world, some regulations and requirements
have been published by BC government to contribute to reduce GHG. Some of
regulations are listed below.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (2007)
Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act (2008)
Emission Offsets Regulation (2008)
Carbon Tax Act (2008)
Zero Net Deforestation Act (2010)
Wood First Act (2009) (Greig and Bull, 2011)
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When the regulation Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act passed by the
Government of British Columbia, the aim of GHG emissions reduced at least 33%
below 2007 levels by 2020 (Province of British Columbia 2007a). The industry of
forest
also
responded
that
the
forest
products
industry
would
achieve
carbon-neutrality by 2015 without the use of carbon offsets
For a better management of forest, there are four types of projects of forest carbon
described in FCOP. They are conservation/avoided deforestation, improved forest
management, reforestation and afforestation (Ministry of forest, 2011). It is worth
noting that many forest managements are managed for more harvesting by thinning
and other sivilculture activities. It may finally increase the carbon stock in long term
but may cause the reducing of carbon stock in short term because of harvesting.
Carbon trading
Credits and regulatory requirements should be taken into consideration to Carbon
trading. Different scales of carbon trading have different regulations to achieve the
implement. These scales include international, national, regional, provincial, and local
levels.
For the international level, some countries are following the Kyoto Protocol standard
when some countries such as the US and Australia are not willing to sign the Kyoto
Protocol. Instead of the Kyoto Protocol, they preferred develop the standards by
themselves. As Capoor and Ambrosi mentioned in 2007, forests played a minor role in
the Kyoto-compliant markets. The voluntary markets developed by some countries
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Ungulate Stands Management
even showed smaller effect. The reason of this is wrote in challenge section.
It is much easier for national, regional, provincial, and local levels to follow one
standard. Many countries are formulating to establish their own standard which may
be carried out by markets in their own countries. There is no a specific carbon-offset
standard in British Columbia, as well as Canada (Greig and Bull, 2009)
Motivations and interested Parties
Motivations are come from financial, political, environmental, social, and cultural
factors. For financial factor, carbon offset may lead the stand with high cost harvest
activities to transfer to carbon offset and carbon trading management. Some stands
may not be suitable to harvest can profit from carbon trading. The motivators come
from political factors may because of the social and cultural factors. More and more
people are becoming have a better understand of carbon footprint. Carbon- neutral has
become a consequence for people: this activity is saving people from worse and worse
environment change. Governments are also willing to support the carbon management
project to gain support from public.
Although governments, organizations and individuals are interested in carbon stock,
the way of carbon management has not been reached a agreement. It reduces the
payment for some people when it provides many work opportunities for others.
Generally, interest in carbon stock in forest management has rapidly increased. The
threat of climate change is the biggest reason for people to concentrate to carbon stock
in forest management.
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Ungulate Stands Management
The challenges from global carbon trading
The carbon cap-and-trade System are based on the credits and agreement between
countries. However, as this paper mentioned before, forests played a minor role in the
Kyoto-compliant markets. The voluntary markets developed by some countries even
showed smaller effect. This is because the countries cannot reach an agreement by
now for the reducing carbon emissions. When the agreement of reducing carbon
emissions cannot be reached, most of emitters are not willing to pay for the carbon
offset and credits. None of specific carbon-offset standards in British Columbia and
Canada made management of carbon stock in forest cannot get enough benefits from
stands. Although the carbon stock in forest can significantly prevent climate change,
the benefit is a decisive factor to decide the role of carbon in the management of
forests.
On 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is known as Copenhagen
Summit, IPCC, G8, OECD and some other international organizations or scientists
proposed 7 different kinds of plan for reducing of carbon dioxide emissions. The
plans from IPCC and G8 came up with the specific plan of reducing of emissions to
developed countries when there were no specific requirements to developing countries.
However, the plans were fair to developing countries on the surface. To use the plan
from IPCC as an example, it required developed countries to reduce 35% to 40% of
the emissions of carbon dioxide and to reduce 80% to 95% in 2050. The fact is that
the carbon footprint of the world was only 700 billion tons and the foot print for
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Ungulate Stands Management
developed countries was calculated as 2.3 times of developing countries per person. In
the history before that, the footprint for developed countries was 7.54 times of
developing countries per person from 1900 to 2005. “It was unfair to some developing
countries with huge population, such as China.” Said the Zhongli Ding, the sub-dean
of Chinese Academy of Sciences. ”As a person, all the people should have nearly
amount of carbon footprint. However, developed countries would like to calculate the
amount of carbon footprint by countries.” The plan from G8 was even more unfair. 27
developed countries with 1.1 billion amount of population had 44% carbon emission
permit for the future. The rest of 5.5 billion people shared 56% carbon emission
permit. As the emission rate for China, China need to start to buy carbon credits from
2020. Same conditions were happened for many other developing countries.
Additionally, there is not a final conclusion to say that carbon makes the change of
climate. The report from IPCC was run by computer model and the conclusion was
not 100% concluded. It said” It is very likely that anthropogenic greenhouse gas
increase caused most of the observed increase in global average temperature since the
mid-20th century.” Some of scientists believed in that the climate change would not be
that bad.
Therefore, the carbon management does help the control of climate change but still
need more agreements and regulations for countries to put into effect.
Conclusion
Carbon management plays an important role in forest management and it helps the
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Ungulate Stands Management
world to control the climate change. The management of carbon in BC is stepping
forward significantly. Seriously, more agreements among countries should be reached
especially the agreement between developing and developed countries.
References
Greig, M and Bull, G. (2009). Carbon Management in British Columbia’s Forests:
Opportunities and Challenges
Kurz, W. (2008). Boreal forest and climate change [editorial]. Chronicle Herald, April
19
Province of British Columbia. (2007a). B.C. introduces climate action legislation.
Office of the Premier and Ministry of Environment, Victoria, B.C. News release
2007OTP0181-001489.http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2007
OTP0181-001489.htm (Accessed October 10, 2008)
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. (2011). Guide for Forest
Carbon Offset Projects on Crown Land in BC.
Greig, M and Bull, G. (2011). Carbon management in British Columbia’s forests: An
update on opportunities and challenges
Capoor, K. and Ambrosi,P. (2007). State and trends of the carbon market 2007. World
Bank Institute, Washington, D.C. From
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/
06/06/000020953_20070606144908/Rendered/PDF/399230Carbon1Trends1200701P
UBLIC1.pdf (Accessed October 10, 2008)
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