Now that we have reached the RRSP season, there is much talk about making investments to be better prepared for the future. If we are truly concerned about the future, it is also time to get serious about taking action on climate change and reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide continue to increase and have now reached a worrisome 390 parts per million (ppm). We also need to focus more attention on the important natural processes which can remove some of this carbon dioxide from the atmosphere because scientists believe a level of 350 ppm (where it was back in 1988) is where the carbon dioxide level should to be to ensure a stable climate for future generations.
Oceans serve as the main natural "sink" for carbon and are believed to have already absorbed 30% of the carbon released from fossil fuel combustion. However, the ability of oceans to take up carbon appears to have decreased in recent years. This decrease is thought to be due to the carbon already absorbed which is causing acidification. Increasing acidity is having deleterious impacts on the functioning of ocean ecosystems. The other major natural sink for carbon uptake is photosynthesis on land. For example, it is estimated tropical forests have the ability to absorb about 10% of the carbon dioxide created by the burning of fossil fuels.
Temperate forests, especially the more mature rainforests of BC, are now recognized to be capable of sequestering equally significant amounts of carbon in their trees, shrubs, associated roots, soils and wetlands. As part of an initiative to take action on global warming, the B.C. government is turning its attention to carbon stored in forests and has been consulting with the public on deforestation and forest carbon offset policies. Sadly, the mountain pine beetle outbreak, itself thought to be a consequence of global warming, is responsible for converting some forests in B.C. from carbon sinks to carbon sources in recent years. In 1998, B.C. forests removed about 32.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but, by 2008, they were responsible for an astounding net release of 33.1 million tonnes. Hopefully, this will be only a temporary change but it will take at least a couple of decades before these interior pine forests will be able to again sequester significant amounts of carbon.
Protection key
Protecting our natural forests and wetlands is probably one of the easiest and most significant things we can do in BC to combat climate change. In total, 18 billion tonnes of carbon are thought to be stored within BC's forest ecosystems - this is about a thousand times more than our annual greenhouse gas emissions. Logging, like pine beetle infestations, can convert forests into carbon sources. Protecting forests brings many additional benefits because natural forests provide habitat for a wide range of species including many at risk; these forests also help to maintain high groundwater tables which ensure stream flows for salmon and water levels in reservoirs used to generate electricity. Climate change provides one more compelling reason to preserve, rather than log, the magnificent rainforests along our coasts and in the interior rain belt of B.C.
Limiting the amount of deforestation, i.e., the permanent conversion of forest land to other purposes, can also be an effective way to preserve forest carbon sinks.In 2007, deforestation of 6,220 hectares was responsible for 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions which was just slightly less than the amount coming from garbage processing in B.C. Development was the second highest cause of deforestation and accounted for the loss of 1420 hectares.
In the Tri-Cities area, the forests that have been unfortunately lost to development in recent years have been at a prime age (50-250 years) to sequester carbon. Preventing urban sprawl is clearly an important tool in our battle against climate change.
While there is an urgent need for government action to protect natural ecosystems that sequester carbon, there are also some things individuals can do. If you are a single-family home owner, converting lawn to shrubbery and trees will make your own yard a more effective carbon sink. Joining volunteer groups to remove invasive plant species and replace them with a biodiverse mix of native trees and shrubs will also promote a return to natural, carbon-sequestering ecosystems. And it is always a good idea to let elected officials know how much you support action on climate change and protection of natural carbon-storing forest ecosystems.
Elaine Golds is a Port Moody environmentalist who is vice-president of Burke Mountain Naturalists, chair of the Colony Farm Park Association and president of the PoMo Ecological Society.
