WWF: Halt to forest loss a key to stabilising climate

[Triana]

Buenos Aires, Argentina – WWF is challenging global leaders to back an ambitious target on stopping forest loss as a major element of efforts to avert the looming climate catastrophe.

In his keynote address at the XIIIth World Forestry Congress on Monday, WWF International’s Forests Director Rodney Taylor urged participants of the Congress, including government leaders, NGOs and businesses, to support a global target of zero net deforestation by 2020.

WWF is proposing a groundbreaking global benchmark for action on forests to avoid dangerous climate change and curb biodiversity loss.

Despite conservation efforts, deforestation continues at an alarming rate – 13 million hectares per year, or 36 football fields a minute. It generates almost 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and halting forest loss has been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to keep the world out of the danger zone of runaway climate change.

Taylor said that zero net deforestation by 2020 is “a common target – one that sets the scale and urgency with which these threats need to be tackled to maintain the health of the planet.”

“This is an opportunity to build consensus on how the forest sector can help achieve an early peak of greenhouse gas emissions and a rapid 80 percent decline in emission levels by 2050.”

“But this is a global target, and we can only do it together.”

MORE...

http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?uNewsID=177201

[jwirr]

1. Especially the rain forests. There is a lot of logging going on around

where I live but it is not clear cut and trees will be replanted. In the area of the rain forest they are not replanting they are clearing for farms.

[Triana]

2. I know. It's ALARMING how many acres of rainforest are destroyed EVERY HOUR....

...HORRIBLE!

:wtf: