HomePortfolioEnergy & Environment The climate policy actually adding millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere
The climate policy actually adding millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere
By
Lisa Song
Wednesday July 14, 2021
When people write carbon offset rules, they always ignore the fact that there are 1,000 smart people next door that will try to game them. (ead72/Adobe)
Along the coast of Northern California near the Oregon border, the cool, moist air off the Pacific sustains a strip of temperate rainforests. Soaring redwoods and Douglas firs dominate these thick, wet woodlands, creating a canopy hundreds of feet high.
But if you travel inland the mix of trees gradually shifts.
Bottom of the Barrel California Oil Can Be Far More Carbon Intensive Than What State Imports kqed.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kqed.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
and is republished here by permission.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society has long managed its land in western Massachusetts as crucial wildlife habitat. Nature lovers flock to these forests to enjoy bird-watching and quiet hikes, with the occasional bobcat or moose sighting.
But in 2015, the conservation nonprofit presented California’s top climate regulator with a startling scenario: It could heavily log 9,700 acres of its preserved forests over the next few years.
The group raised the possibility of chopping down hundreds of thousands of trees as part of its application to take part in California’s forest offset program.
The state’s Air Resources Board established the system to harness the ability of trees to absorb and store carbon to help the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
This story was co-published with MIT Technology Review.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society has long managed its land in western Massachusetts as crucial wildlife habitat. Nature lovers flock to these forests to enjoy bird-watching and quiet hikes, with the occasional bobcat or moose sighting.
But in 2015, the conservation nonprofit presented California’s top climate regulator with a startling scenario: It could heavily log 9,700 acres of its preserved forests over the next few years.
The group raised the possibility of chopping down hundreds of thousands of trees as part of its application to take part in California’s forest offset program.
The state’s Air Resources Board established the system to harness the ability of trees to absorb and store carbon to help the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.