Research supports EU's position at The Hague
A report initiated by Research Directorate General's Environment programme through the CARBOEUROPE research initiative has concluded that it is more important to preserve existing forests than to plant new ones. This evidence supports the position that the EU has been defending at the vital climate talks in The Hague, where delegates have been resisting the US's attempts to avoid cutting their own emissions by planting new forests to soak up the pollution. The report was presented at The Hague on 22 November. CARBOEUROPE involves 70 European research institutions and has received financial support totalling 15 million euro from the European Commission. Its aims are to advance understanding of carbon fixation mechanisms and to quantify the magnitude of the carbon sinks for a range of European terrestrial ecosystems. Furthermore, it will investigate how terrestrial ecosystems may be constrained by climate variability, availability of nutrients, changing rates of nitrogen deposition and interaction with management regimes. In addition to the discovery that preserving existing forests is more valuable than planting new ones, the report also indicates that 'new forests' would only take up additional carbon dioxide temporarily 'buying' at most 15-100 years of time for implementing alternative greenhouse gas reduction strategies. Commenting on the report's findings, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin observed: 'In recent discussions about climate change, it emerged that there remain scientific uncertainties about the extent to which forests serve as carbon sinks. That is why the findings of this new report are so important, effectively supporting the European position not to use the planting of new forests to compensate for carbon dioxide emissions.' The Kyoto Protocol includes options of offsetting emissions through enhancing 'sinks' by way of planting new forests. This aspect of the protocol has been the catalyst for widespread debate within scientific circles and between policy makers. Constructive debate in The Hague has been difficult due to differing opinions in the EU and the US about the effectiveness of carbon sinks, which the two sides discussed at a meeting on 20 November. Experts will meet soon in order to discuss technical issues and to ensure that the two sides work from compatible data sets. The political-level negotiations, which began on 20 November in four main ministerial negotiating groups, should prepare the ground for decisions later in the week. The opening of the political segment of the conference saw speeches from French President Jacques Chirac, under the auspices of the EU presidency, and Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok Meanwhile, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström endorsed a youth initiative to reduce gas emissions on 22 November. Known as 'The Bet', youth groups from 16 European Countries have bet the EU that they can cut carbon dioxide emissions from their schools and personal activities by 8 per cent in 8 months, instead of the 8 to 12 year timescale specified in the Kyoto Protocol. If the youths fail to meet the challenge, they have pledged to conduct an energy audit of a Commission building and to transport Mrs Wallström by rickshaw for a week. In return, the Commissioner agreed to cycle to work for a month if they succeed.