World's forests absorb almost 40 per cent of man made CO2

The world's forests are much more important than previously thought in absorbing CO2, according to a paper published in Science.

The study showed that forests are absorbing almost 40 per cent of the 38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide created by mankind every year Photo: Rex

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent

6:00PM BST 18 Aug 2011

The University of Leeds research found forests absorb nearly 40 per cent of man made fossil fuel emissions every year.


The first study to look at all the world’s forests together found that established forests, from boreal forests in the north to tropical rainforests in the south, absorb 8.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.


Scientists work out how much carbon is being absorbed by measuring the density of wood, height and width of different tree species over time.


A further 6 billion tonnes is “mopped up” by newly planted forests around the world.


However 10.8 billion tonnes is released as a consequence of deforestation as trees are chopped down and a further 28 billon tonnes is generated by cars, factories and other sources of fossil fuels.


The study showed that forests are absorbing almost 40 per cent of the 38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide created by mankind every year.

Dr Simon Lewis, a tropical ecologist from the University of Leeds and co-author of the study, said trees are much more important to tacking climate change than previously thought.

He pointed out that halting deforestation and planting more trees could make a huge different.

"Humans are altering the world's forests in a number of ways, from their outright destruction to the much more subtle impacts on even the most remote forests caused by global changes to the environment.

"Our research shows these changes are having globally important impacts, which highlights the critical role forests play in the global cycling of carbon and therefore the speed and severity of future climate change.

"The practical importance of this new information is that if schemes to reduce deforestation are successful they would have significant positive global impacts, as would similar efforts promoting forest restoration."

World's forests absorb almost 40 per cent of man made CO2

The world's forests are much more important than previously thought in absorbing CO2, according to a paper published in Science.

The study showed that forests are absorbing almost 40 per cent of the 38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide created by mankind every year Photo: Rex

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent

6:00PM BST 18 Aug 2011

The University of Leeds research found forests absorb nearly 40 per cent of man made fossil fuel emissions every year.


The first study to look at all the world’s forests together found that established forests, from boreal forests in the north to tropical rainforests in the south, absorb 8.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.


Scientists work out how much carbon is being absorbed by measuring the density of wood, height and width of different tree species over time.


A further 6 billion tonnes is “mopped up” by newly planted forests around the world.


However 10.8 billion tonnes is released as a consequence of deforestation as trees are chopped down and a further 28 billon tonnes is generated by cars, factories and other sources of fossil fuels.


The study showed that forests are absorbing almost 40 per cent of the 38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide created by mankind every year.

Dr Simon Lewis, a tropical ecologist from the University of Leeds and co-author of the study, said trees are much more important to tacking climate change than previously thought.

He pointed out that halting deforestation and planting more trees could make a huge different.

"Humans are altering the world's forests in a number of ways, from their outright destruction to the much more subtle impacts on even the most remote forests caused by global changes to the environment.

"Our research shows these changes are having globally important impacts, which highlights the critical role forests play in the global cycling of carbon and therefore the speed and severity of future climate change.

"The practical importance of this new information is that if schemes to reduce deforestation are successful they would have significant positive global impacts, as would similar efforts promoting forest restoration."

Massive protest at White House against Alberta tar sands pipeline

Campaigners say the two-week protest will be the biggest green civil disobedience in a generation

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Friday 19 August 2011 17.31 BST

A protest at the White House against a pipeline from the Alberta tar sands is emerging as the biggest green civil disobedience campaign in a generation, organisers said.


Approximately 1,500 people signed up to court arrest during the two-week action outside the White House, which begins on Saturday morning.


The campaign is seen as a last chance to persuade Barack Obama to stop a planned 1,600-mile pipeline that will carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta across rich American farmland to the Gulf of Mexico.


The State Department is expect to produce its final environmental analysis of the pipeline by the end of the month. Obama will then have 90 days to decide whether going ahead with the project would be in the national interest.


The Keystone XL project has been a major focus of environmental protests. Greenhouse gas emissions of tar sands crude are 40% higher than conventional oil, and the open-pit mining has devastated Alberta's boreal forest.


Recent pipeline accidents in Michigan and Montana have also deepened fears about potential dangers along the pipeline's route through prime American farmland.


The veteran environmentalist Bill McKibben, who is leading the protest, describes it as the biggest civil disobedience action in environmental circles for years.


It also puts Obama on the spot to make good on his promises as a presidential candidate in 2008 to act on climate change.


Congress failed to act on the main plank of Obama's green agenda – climate change legislation – and pressure from Tea Party activists has forced the Environmental Protection Agency to delay or weaken regulations on dealing with climate change.


This time though, Obama has freedom of action – or at least that is McKibben's hope.


Obama must personally sign off on the pipeline, if it is to go ahead. "We think we may have a chance because for once Obama gets to make the call himself. He has to sign – or not sign – the permit," McKibben said.


"As environmentalists this is the one clean test we are ever going to get of Obama's real commitment to climate issues."


The protest will begin at about 11am on Saturday morning when a first group of 100 activists will gather at the gates of the White House, an area that is supposed to be kept clear, and wait to be arrested.


Unlike other campaigns, the next fortnight's actions have geographical reach – with protesters descending on Washington from areas along the pipeline's route.


One group from eastern Texas, has hired an RV to make the journey.



The campaign against the pipeline has steadily been gaining in momentum amid concerns about pipeline safety.


The pipeline route crosses rich farmland and important aquifers.


Campaigners argue the thick heavy tar sands crude could do far more damage than conventional oil, and that the State Department has rushed through its environmental review.


The oil industry, meanwhile, pushed back with a study this week claiming the pipeline would create 20,000 new construction jobs.

Windfarms prevent detection of secret nuclear weapon tests, says MoD

Plans for hundreds of wind turbines have been blocked over claims that vibrations will interfere with recording station

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is blocking plans for hundreds of wind turbines because it says their "seismic noise" will prevent the detection of nuclear explosions around the world.

The MoD claims that vibrations from new windfarms across a large area of north-west England and south-west Scotland will interfere with the operation of its seismological recording station at Eskdalemuir, near Lockerbie. The station listens out for countries secretly testing nuclear warheads in breach of the 182-nation Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

At a meeting today, Carlisle council rejected the latest application for six wind turbines at Hallburn Farm, near Longtown, because of the MoD's objections. The noise from the turbines would increase interference to an unacceptable level, the MoD said.

The company that made the application, REG Windpower, warned that plans for many other windfarms in the area were similarly affected. As much as one gigawatt of renewable power was being held up by the MoD, the company told the Guardian.

This is equivalent to about a quarter of the UK's current onshore wind capacity, and could make an important contribution to meeting UK targets to cut the pollution that is causing climate change, REG Windpower argued.

But according to the MoD, the swishing blades of wind turbines cause vibrations in the ground that can be detected by the sophisticated monitoring equipment at Eskdalemuir. The UK has an international obligation to protect the operation of the station to help prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, it said.

An expert study for the MoD concluded that although the station could cope with some seismic noise, increasing this beyond a certain level would cause interference. The limit has now been reached so the ministry is objecting to every new wind turbine within 50km of Eskdalemuir.

This has generated frustration among wind power developers because the area has many attractions for them. It has good wind speeds, is sparsely populated and is close to centres of electricity demand.

But REG Windpower's development director, Matt Partridge, was hopeful of a breakthrough in finding a technical fix for the problem. "We're optimistic there will soon be a solution," he said.

One idea is to hang weights like pendulums inside turbine towers to deaden the vibrations from the blades. The MoD promised it would reassess its opposition if there were a proven technological solution.

Eskdalemuir was a "unique facility in the UK", said an MoD spokesman. "It detects and accurately interprets seismic signals worldwide to detect nuclear explosions and deter the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Wind turbines can affect the readings."

He added: "The MoD would not object to a planning application without due reason. Objections are only raised where such action is considered vital to adequately protect MoD interests."