"In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Stopping the loggers is the fastest and cheapest solution to climate change. So why are global leaders turning a blind eye to this crisis?" (Independent headline published on 14th May 2007 on deforestation and global warming by Daniel Howden)
Rainforests are vital for climate control
As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it to carbon, which they then store in the form of wood and vegetation. Forests account for over 80% of the CO2 exchanged between the land and the atmosphere. Tropical rainforests are some of the largest carbon banks in the world and the rainforests where our projects are based lock in, on average, 365 tonnes of CO2 per hectare. Meanwhile, the ongoing burning and destruction of rainforest is responsible for about 18%-25% of global annual carbon dioxide emissions. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN states that forests can play a vital role in combating climate change, by preventing forests from being cut down and through the reforestation of cleared areas.
Businesses emit CO2, the main greenhouse gas
Activities that release greenhouse gases include burning coal, oil and gas, petrol and other 'fossil fuels’. Every business emits CO2 by using power and energy in offices and factories, plus the fuel for transporting people and goods around the world. The ‘carbon footprint’ of a business can be calculated. It can be reduced significantly by energy efficiency measures and green transport policies, but economic activity in an oil-based economy is always going to emit CO2 . It is possible to ‘offset’ this footprint by donating to tropical forestry projects which protect carbon in trees either by conserving existing forests or through replanting.
Forest offsets deliver much more than carbon
Our Forest Credits Programme was set up to enable businesses to acknowledge and redress their impact on the environment, by using the unique power of the rainforest to lock up carbon. Rainforests act as giant reservoirs of moisture, releasing water throughout the year as perennial streams and rivers that support the lives of millions of people. One-fifth of the world's fresh water is in the Amazon Basin and the rainforest here creates as much as 50% of its own rainfall. The additional eco-system services provided by forests include the support of biodiversity, climate stability, sustainable incomes for local communities, medicinal cures and protection of indigenous tribes. They quite literally sustain life on earth as we know it.