New Values: Policies to Manage Forest Carbon

1. New Values: Policies to Manage Forest Carbon

2. Rest of term • November 12 - forest carbon 1, Tutorial 4 • November 14 – carbon (cont) • Brief due • November 18 (Monday) – EBM simulation • November 19 (Lecture) – comparative • November 19 (evening) – area-based simulation • November 21 – conclusion 1 • November 26 – conclusion 2 • November 28 – NO CLASS • December 12 – 3:30-5:30 final exam

3. Context: Forest Offset Controversy

4. Key question: are carbon offsets… • legitimate reductions in GHGs that should, if properly regulated, play an meaningful role in climate policy or • Sketchy subsidies that provide dubious contributions to reducing GHGs, and should not be including in sincere climate policies

5. Agenda – today and Thursday • Emerging values • Forest Carbon 100 • How forests can contribute to GHG mitigation • BC Climate policy • General • Forest carbon • Policy Design Issues • Promoting Wood • Bioenergy (briefly) • conclusion

6. Emerging Values • “British Columbia is already world-renowned for reforestation. Now we have an opportunity to increase the amount of carbon our forests sequester, and harness the economic potential of carbon offsets. This will not only strengthen the forest sector and the communities that depend on it, it will remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and help meet our climate change goals.” Pat Bell April 3, 2009

7. Carbon in forests Tony Lempriere (CFS) There is a LOT of carbon in forests: • 50% of the weight of wood is carbon • 1 m3 of wood = about 0.25 tonnes of carbon = almost 1 tonne of CO2 = about the same amount of carbon as in 350 litres of gasoline

8. Forest carbon cycle Tony Lempriere (CFS) • Carbon is stored in many pools, and emitted from and added to each pool over time • Harvesting, decomposition, and fire emit greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (i.e. they result in sources) • Forest growth removes or sequesters carbon from the atmosphere (i.e. they result in sinks)

9. Agenda • Emerging values • Forest Carbon 100 • How forests can contribute to GHG mitigation • BC Climate policy • General • Forest carbon • Policy Design Issues • Promoting Wood • bioenergy • conclusion

10. Canada’s forests and climatechange mitigation Tony Lempriere (CFS) • Forests and forestry cannot solve the problem of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions – but they can contribute to the solution • Forest management can reduce sources and increase sinks • Forests are a sustainable source of products characterized by long-term storage of carbon, and they supply bioenergy

11. Forest contribution to mitigation • Afforestation • Plant new forests on marginal agricultural land • Avoiding deforestation (permanent loss of forest) • Changing forest management • harvesting practices • Rate of cut • Regeneration • protection against fire and insects • Use and disposal of harvested wood products • Produce longer-lived products, substitution for emissions-intensive materials, recycling, improve management of landfills • Wood bioenergy • Use wood for power generation, bio-fuels • Bio-economy – displace petrochemical based materials

12. Carbon Balance – BC Forests

13. BC 2010 emissions

14. What counted and not from forests • Counted: Emissions from deforestation (i.e., releases at the time of deforestation and the residual decay of dead organic matter) and removals from afforestation (i.e., new trees absorbing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere). • Not counted: “normal” forest management, natural disturbance • 82 million tonnes • Increased 88% since 2007

15. Agenda • Emerging values • Forest Carbon 100 • How forests can contribute to GHG mitigation • BC Climate policy • General • Forest carbon • Policy Design Issues • Promoting Wood • bioenergy • conclusion

16. FRST 415 Agenda-Setting Policy Formulation Decisionmaking Policy Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation • Policy cycle – implementation stage • Policy design • Strategic actor analysis

17. Agenda – Forest carbon policy • BC climate policy • Affiliated climate policy • Struggling forest sector

18. How best can forests contribute to meeting targets? 2007 2020 target 2050 target BC’s mitigation challenge BC’s GHG emissions (including afforestation & deforestation) Actual 1990-2007 emissions, and targets to 2050 Note: Targets as per GHG Reductions Target Act: 33% below 2007 level by 2020, and 80% by 2050. Interim targets established for 2012 and 2016.

19. BC GHG policy - targets • Climate Action Plan June 2008 • Provincial reduction target: • 33% below 2007 levels by 2020 • 80% below 2007 levels by 2050 • Public sector carbon neutrality by 2010 • Emission offset regulation • Must use Pacific Carbon Trust

20. BC GHG policy - forests • No net deforestation • Forests for Tomorrow, $161 million 4-year investment in reforestation • Trees for Tomorrow, urban forest tree planting • Bioenergy Strategy • Promote use of wood • Forest carbon offset policy

21. Clarifying terms • Offset: a net reduction in emissions created when organizations invest in another company's emissions-reducing activities (PCT) • Permit or allowance: under “cap and trade” system, legal authorization to emit certain amount (they are tradeable) • Offsets can be part of cap and trade system but are usually regulated • “Cap and trade” instructional video

22. Thursday • BC carbon offset policy and controversy

23. 2013 Forest Policy Simulation Agenda Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, 2916 EBM Monday November 18 Relaxing Constraints Tuesday November 19 5:00-6:00 Initial Presentation from Caucuses (5 minutes each) 6:00-6:45 Facilitator Identification of areas of agreement and disagreement 6:45-7:15 Dinner Break:  Group meetings 7:15-8:15 Narrow range of disagreements 8:15-8:45 Establish consensus position or range of option 8:45-9:00 Debrief