§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment his Department has made of the carbon-absorbing capacity of new forests and the impact this will have on the Kyoto protocols; and if he will make a statement. [80882]
§ Mr. MeacherI have been asked to reply.
New forests reduce the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, because the trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, despite an initial loss of soil carbon due to disturbance during planting, the input of organic matter from trees via litter on the forest floor increases the amount of carbon in the soil over time. We estimate that new forests planted in the UK since 1990 will remove about 0.6 million tonnes of carbon per year (MtC/yr) during the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, contributing about 0.3 per cent. towards our 12.5 per cent. emissions reduction commitment. Taking into account the possible contribution from the Clean Development Mechanism as well as new forests planted in other developed countries, new forests could contribute the equivalent of a reduction of about 1.5 per cent. of base year emissions towards the commitments averaged over all countries which ratify the Kyoto Protocol. However the actual outcome will depend on how the countries choose to meet their commitments, on actual rates of planting, and on detailed application of the rules for sinks accounting agreed in Marakkesh.