Carbon Sinks and the Kyoto Protocol: Legal and Policy Mechanisms for Domestic Implementation

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-276
Author(s):  
Steven A Kennett
Keyword(s):  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Policy Mechanisms

Senkenanrechnung gemäss Kyoto-Protokoll: Perspektiven für die Waldwirtschaft | Taking carbon sinks into account according to the Kyoto Protocol: a prospect for the forest sector

2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (9) ◽  
pp. 296-302
Author(s):  
Richard Volz
Keyword(s):  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Emissions Trading ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Trading Market ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Emission Reduction Target ◽  
Actual Target

The Kyoto Protocol makes provisions for carbon sinks from forest management to be taken into account as a contribution towards fulfilling a country's emission reduction target. Additional emission allowances are allocated for these forest carbon sinks. If Switzerland uses this extra contingent of allowances to the full it would then only have to reduce emissions by 4.5% instead of the actual target of 8%. Emission allowances from carbon sinks can be traded on the emissions trading market and be claimed by forest owners. An assessment of the income that could be anticipated was carried out in four forestry companies: with the CO2 price set at 10 CHF per ton it was seen that a potential revenue of between 6 and 71 CHF per hectare and year could be realised. However, the legal basis for allocating emission allowances from carbon sinks to forest owners has yet to be created. In view of the fact that the two chambers of Parliament refused the introduction of the Forests Act Revision Bill, it is not clear if and in what form this will be done. For the period after 2012, the rules will be renegotiated at the international level and it is expected that the carbon stored in harvested wood products will be taken into account. Accordingly, wood removed from the forest would no longer be automatically counted as a CO2 source in the emission balance.

scholarly journals Sinn und Unsinn der Anrechnung von Waldsenken im Kyoto-Protokoll (Essay) | Sense and nonsense of using forests as carbon sinks in the Kyoto Protocol (essay)

2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (9) ◽  
pp. 267-272
Author(s):  
Harald Bugmann
Keyword(s):  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Balance ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Marginal Value ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Key Aspects

According to the Kyoto Protocol, biological carbon sinks can be used as a means of partially achieving national emission reduction targets. In this paper, I evaluate 1) the historical development of human impacts on the terrestrial carbon balance, 2) the resulting differences in baseline conditions in different parts of the world and for different nations, and 3) key aspects of the sustainability of accounting biological carbon sinks regarding the long-term development of the greenhouse effect. Humankind has been influencing the greenhouse gas balance of the Earth for much longer than the past 100 to 150 years in a regionally highly differentiated manner. Forests play an important role as C sinks in most temperate zone countries today, but their sink strength results mainly from historical over-exploitation and thus should be regarded as “compensation” rather than a generic achievement of humankind in general, or forest management in particular. Although accounting for biological C sinks for achieving national emission reduction targets appears positive at first sight, I conclude that this practice tends to obstruct problem solving, rather than fostering it. Considerations on the sustainability, ethics and efficiency and on the equitability of this accounting suggest that the two issues should be considered separately, without implying that forest protection would be of lesser importance, nor that biological C sinks would be of a marginal value.

scholarly journals Does the Kyoto Protocol as an International Environmental Policy Promote Forest Carbon Sinks?

2022 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Control Method ◽  
National Level ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Policy Effect ◽  
Commitment Period

Under the background of carbon neutrality, the carbon sequestration of forest ecosystems is an important way to mitigate climate change. Forest could not only protect the environment but also an important industry for economic development. As an international climate policy that first recognized the role of forest carbon sinks on climate change, the question becomes, has the Kyoto Protocol promoted the development of forest carbon sinks in contracting parties? To explore this, data of forest can be obtained at the national level. Hence, data of economic, social, polity and climate in 147 countries is also collected. The generalized synthetic control method is adopted. The results show that the policy effect of the Kyoto Protocol was obvious and significant. Moreover, the effect was more significant after the enforcement in 2005. Especially after the first commitment period, the policy effect of the second period is more obvious. Some policy implications are drawn.

scholarly journals Waldbewirtschaftung zur Senkenerhöhung? Mögliche Konfliktfelder und Synergien | Increasing carbon sinks by forest management? Conflicts and synergies

2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (9) ◽  
pp. 281-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Thürig ◽  
Edgar Kaufmann
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
National Forest Inventory ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
Management Conflicts

A new function of forests was brought into focus by the Kyoto Protocol: forests as carbon sinks. Switzerland decided to have forest management taken into account under the Kyoto Protocol (Art. 3.4). This new forest function brings about new conflicts. The Swiss Forestry statistics and the Swiss National Forest Inventory show harvesting amounts are increasing and the trend seems set to continue. In a study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) different forest management scenarios were analyzed as was their influence both on the amount harvested in the long term and the forest sink effect. The study focussed on the following question: How can increased forest management be combined with forest carbon sinks and where are the limits? The scenarios range from reduced forest management and corresponding forest carbon sinks to a reduction of growing stock with corresponding carbon sources. Results show that for a limited time span both aspects can be considered on a national scale. Further studies should focus on interactions with other forest functions such as preservation of biodiversity, damage to forests and the effect of climate change.

Anrechnung der CO2-Senken des Schweizer Waldes: Grundlagenpapier und Empfehlungen | Accounting of CO2 sinks in Swiss forests. Working paper and recommendations

2005 ◽  
Vol 156 (11) ◽  
pp. 438-441
Author(s):  
Arbeitsgruppe Wald- und ◽  
Holzwirtschaft im Klimaschutz
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
Reduction Of Co2

With the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, Switzerland is committed to reducing CO2emissions by 4.2 million tonnes by 2008. The forests in Switzerland could contribute to the country's national carbon balance with maximum 1.8 million tonnes reduction of CO2. With an increased use of the forest the emissions could be reduced by up to 2 million tonnes by the substitution of other materials. With a targeted forest management policy carbon sink reduction and the substitution value of the forest could be balanced against one another. In the framework of climate policy the Federal government should create the legal and organisational conditions for this.

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