Canada's forest - a CO2-slingshot

if you travel to Canada, would like to experience the nature. The huge forests, the clean air. The country is also a great protector of the climate. However, on closer inspection, this Image gets scratches.

Georg Schwarte, ARD Studio New York

in Canada. Green. Forest Kingdom. Climate-friendly. And then he. Justin Trudeau - the Prime and Supreme protector of the climate: climate protection is a top priority of the government, a government for the third largest forest in the world with 38.2 percent.

The layman is happy about it, because every tree is good for the climate. In theory, anyway. In practice, however, Canada's forests produce in the sum for 15 years of more carbon dioxide than they absorb, says Dominique Blain, scientific Director at the canadian climate protection authority: "When the trees grow, they take CO2 from the atmosphere. You will be so to the store. But if trees rot and die by pests or burned by forest fires, they are a CO2 source."

Destroyed trees in the forest of Fort St. James in the canadian province of British Columbia. This forest fire was raging in 2018.

And now Canada's climate - and greenhouse gas-statistician come into play. The canadian government, and the statisticians have Canada's climate target: reduction of greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2030. Ambitious enough. But since at least since 15 years in the managed forest of Canada - a huge area of 226 million hectares - of the year produced for the year, more CO2 than it absorbs, they have decided, in their statistics, only the emissions to be counted, the person also has an impact, says Tony Lemprìere, climate change policy Manager of the canadian forestry authority:

"It's about what we can control, emissions due to wood harvest, things like that. But we can control no forest fires."

In 2016, was looking for Canada from massive forest fires.

Particularly the province of Alberta was affected in the southwest of the country.

you mean: All the CO2 emissions due to the constantly increasing forest fires, fungus and pest infestation, which in turn is promoted by climate change, not all of these emissions in Canada's official climate statistics. Justification: it is Not man-made, not controllable. For critics of Canada pays off its carbon footprint beautiful. Lemprìere disagrees: It's not about appearance, but what would control Canada.

92 mega - tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere, not in the statistics

Still, Alone in 2016, Canada's forest has been saved, theoretically, 152 mega tonnes of CO2. Enormous forest fires in the year and a massive beetle infestation that caused the trees to die, and has used the forest as a CO2-storage in the year, but in fact, in the balance of a greenhouse gas producers of the 92 mega-tonnes of CO2.

in the atmosphere, but nowhere on the paper. And the balance of about 700 mega-tonnes per year of carbon dioxide emissions in Canada and therefore do not appear in the total.

Lemprìere refers to other industrial Nations, which would make it similar. Other industrial Nations have not yet ruined so much the forest, such as Canada, the Canada climate balance, if the government would not expect the thing beautiful. Paper is very patient - more patient than the climate change from all.

Canada forest as a CO2-slingshot - Canada climate balance nice
Georg Schwarte, ARD New York
15.02.2019 23:46 PM

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Canada's forest as a CO2-slingshot - Canada expects to be climate balance, beautiful, Georg Schwarte, ARD New York |audio Atlas |Canada |Ottawa

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