COP15 Update: The Answer is in the Forest

Posted by Christine Dorsey, National Wildlife Federation Communications Director

With deforestation responsible for roughly 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, we have an opportunity to bridge a significant gap between what science tells us is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change and the amount of reductions nations like the U.S. are willing to put on the table.

Our own U.S. House legislation lays out an aggressive plan to cut 720 million tons of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 by financing forest restoration efforts. But because that legislation is not law, our own U.S. negotiating team has refused to use it as a negotiating tool.

The Bellona Foundation, an organization that graciously sponsored most of NWF’s side events, has been covering activities. They offer some good coverage to follow.

Photo via Flickr’s AidJoy