With all the concern about climate change as of late, every way to address it are being explored. In British Columbia, the old-growth coastal rainforests are one of their greatest weapons. Unfortunately, they are slowly being destroyed by industrial logging.
The latest solution to the climate change problem is carbon storage. Jens Weiting, Sierra Club coastal forest campaigner says that “B.C.’s coastal forests are among the best carbon storehouses on the planet and one of the world’s most powerful tools in the fight against climate change.” These temperate rainforests can store almost 2,500 tons of carbon per acre. However, the amount of old-growth trees along the coast has been reduced severely by logging. In addition to the reduction in old-growth, the logging is emitting a significant amount of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere through the process.
On Vancouver Island alone, logging has contributed to the addition of over 370 million tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Conservationists and climate change activists are now calling for greater attention to be paid to the island. This week in Copenhagen, Ken Wu of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee has been speaking to world leaders about the value of B.C.’s old growth forests and the value they have for storing carbon, with the hope the attention being paid to Vancouver Island will slow logging.
To read more about the issue, check out the article in the Vancouver Sun.
there is plenty of wood grown every year to meet the need its just GREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and really really DUMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!