Betony, there sure is a lot of information by conference presenters. Mike Burnett, of The Climate Trust explains what exactly is carbon offset. Whew! Finally I think I understand. But to tell the truth, much of it still sounds like accounting slight of hand tricks to me. So many variables to balance!
But after reading through just a few presentations, some trends begin to appear. Forests make up a significant carbon sink that is being looked at right now to help balance our current and future use of fossil fuels. And we're going to need to balance it (probably with more than just forests), even if we are able to significantly reduce use anytime soon, which some doubt. Meanwhile, there are new projects popping up all over the forested world that are looking at, and measuring the effects of our forestry management practices.
I'd love to hear more about your findings about the potential of Sierra forests. Looking forward to it!
whew, those reports are dense as, uh, wood <grin>
Betony, there sure is a lot of information by conference presenters. Mike Burnett, of The Climate Trust explains what exactly is carbon offset. Whew! Finally I think I understand. But to tell the truth, much of it still sounds like accounting slight of hand tricks to me. So many variables to balance!
But after reading through just a few presentations, some trends begin to appear. Forests make up a significant carbon sink that is being looked at right now to help balance our current and future use of fossil fuels. And we're going to need to balance it (probably with more than just forests), even if we are able to significantly reduce use anytime soon, which some doubt. Meanwhile, there are new projects popping up all over the forested world that are looking at, and measuring the effects of our forestry management practices.
I'd love to hear more about your findings about the potential of Sierra forests. Looking forward to it!
Catherine Stifter