4:20pm Tuesday 29th January 2008
By Staff reporter
EUROPEAN Union cuts in greenhouse gas emissions could be entirely wiped out by increased destruction of the Amazon rainforest, according to Birkenhead MP Frank Field, co-founder of environmental charity Cool Earth.
EU Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, announced this week new targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
But these targets take no account of the fact that deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have surged over the last few months.
Deforestation already accounts for one fifth of yearly global emissions and recent studies by the National Institute of Space Research show that the monthly rate of deforestation in the Amazon saw an unprecedented increase, from 94 sq miles in August to 366 sq miles in December.
Scientists have warned that the 20 per cent cut is insufficient and in the face of these new findings could be entirely offset by rising emissions from deforestation - every acre burnt emits around 260 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
But EU policy tools do not even include avoided deforestation.
The new EU targets are based on increased use of renewable energy and biofuels but take no account of the role deforestation plays in the carbon cycle.
While Cool Earth believes that renewable energy has its part to play, biofuels are a leading cause of deforestation and as such have dubious environmental credentials.
Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the Stern Review on climate change and a Cool Earth supporter, has made it clear that curbing deforestation is the most cost effective and immediate way of halting climate change.
Mr Field, commenting on the EU targets, said: "These reductions will be worthless if the Amazon keeps disappearing at the current rate.
"The British Government must take the lead and do something now to halt climate chaos."
To learn more, log on to www.coolearth.org or call free on 0800 093 0624.
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