Media Release - 10-06-07

Greenhouse uncertainty boosted by forest dieback and unscientific agreements

The release of the fourth report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) casts more doubt on Government claims that they are taking climate change seriously and are committed to reducing green house gas emissions, according to Friends of the Five Forests (FOFF).

The report summarises the current scientific agreement about greenhouse gasses and other atmospheric pollutants from human and natural sources. Computer models are employed in an attempt to predict future changes to weather patterns and ocean levels under different scenarios.

According to the IPCC, the primary source of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) since pre-industrial times results from using fossil fuels. Changes in land use are indicated as the next most significant source of greenhouse gasses, however, there is a low level of scientific understanding about the effect local and continental scale land-use changes are having on global atmospheric conditions.

FOFF spokesperson and former community representative on the Forest Resources and Management Systems committee for the NSW Forest Agreement process, Robert Bertram, said the most likely explanation for the low level of scientific understanding in Australia is the inadequate forest agreements between the Commonwealth and State Governments.

“There is no doubt that eucalyptus dieback, mostly associated with drought and insects, now covers very broad areas of eastern Australia and represents a significant change to land use. Affected species include the River Red Gums out west in the Murray – Darling catchment, Alpine Ash forests above the snow line on the southwest slopes in the Murrumbidgee catchment and most species in coastal forests between Melbourne and Brisbane,” he said.

Dieback dramatically reduces or extinguishes the capacity of trees to take up CO2 from the atmosphere. In addition, the millions of trees that have died prematurely in our forests are another source of green house gasses like methane, which are not taken into account in this study.

“On the south coast of NSW, the conservation values in National Parks have markedly declined and Australia’s obligations under international agreements like the Biodiversity Convention are clearly not being met. There is also evidence from Forests NSW Eden division demonstrating that timber yields have declined significantly, and consequently, larger areas are being logged for export woodchips,” he said.

Even though available evidence provides proof that the ‘carbon sink’ capacity of forests is not being maintained or improved, as required under the National Forest Policy Statement, the forest agreements have not been reviewed. Australian Governments intend to maintain current forest management systems for the next 15 years and the global implications are not considered in the IPCC report.

“The IPCC computer models envisage a steady increase in greenhouse gas concentrations and temperatures over decades. However, the available evidence supports ongoing and more frequent massive annual outputs of greenhouse gasses from many Australian forests. The current information suggests these outputs are likely to double Australia’s contribution to global warming within the next decade” said Mr. Bertram.

Contact - Robert Bertram

Phone; (02) 64940224

email; bertram.r@acr.net.au or contact@fiveforests.net