Carbon offsets are controversial these days, but as our understanding of how the feedbacks work in the dyanmics of planting trees, the utility of this mechanism is clear.
It's true that forests sequester co2 and alter the weather, but now we know that a tree planted in the tropics does more to cool the earth than a tree planted in a temperate zone. Work with Global Climate Models at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory uncovered some of the complex dynamics that occur as forest cover fluxuates.
Much more research is needed into the ways that shifts in forest affect climate dynamics. Livermore has studied how water in mountains changes from this epoch as the precipitation comes in shorter, perhaps more intense, more liquid form as climate changes evolve. In california for example the snow pack will be gone in summer, glaciers gone, and that will of course affect streams and the rivers below.
Clearly then the forests will also be affected in a major way. We need more resources here, as our models are not much used yet to explore the ways that our offset programs can achieve maximum leverage.
This means that we need an effective mechanism to ensure that the tree planting is efficient and effectively established in the right areas. So we must learn how to operate real carbon offset programs. How to prevent and catch fraud, a way to make a viable economic system. This will not only create jobs, it can be a weapon against desertification. It can help our watersheds.
I say this in the context of a belief that we need to make every effort to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency, offsets must not absolve the purchaser of the duty to work to reduce emissions. I recognize that some changes will take time and carbon offsets could create a stabilizing and conserving effect on the climate.
The agenda now includes developing effective communications that will convey the importance of building honest, scientifically valid systems providing carbon offsets. The science and understanding of why one forest is better for the climate than another must become common knowledge.
Bruce Bagnoli
