The Kyoto Protocol is a voluntary international treaty made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce GHG emissions blamed for global warming. Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.
The Kyoto Protocol which opened for signature on December 11th 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on February 16th 2005 now covers more than 160 countries globally, including all European Union countries, Japan, and Russia, accounting for over 50% of global GHG. Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries must reduce GHG emissions on average by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012 thus establishing a new emissions cap or benchmark. Although these new caps are national level commitments, in practice most countries will pass their emission reduction targets to individual industrial entities or installations.
The preliminary phase of the Kyoto Protocol commenced Jan 1, 2007 and the mandatory GHG reduction period starts from 2008. The penalty for non-compliance in the first phase is €40 (Euro) per excess tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. In the second phase, for countries not meeting their target limits, the penalty will be increased to €100 per excess tonne of CO2 emitted.
Deforestation is responsible for over 20% of all worldwide CO2 emissions and increasing. Other than stopping it completely there is no perfect solution. To combat deforestation Carbon Friendly Solutions creates and maintains new forests on abandoned agriculture land.
The Kyoto Protocol defines the terms Afforestation and Reforestation for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) projects as follows:
What is global warming?
Global warming is the increase in the earth's global median surface temperature attributed to the Greenhouse effect, both by natural and human impact. It is usually synonymous with the term "climate change" and used commonly in reference to the negative effects to the climate in regions or areas, as a result of the steady increase of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
What are the main contributors to the increased greenhouse effect?
Everything we consume has GHG emissions associated with it. It is estimated that 70 percent of GHG emissions is through the burning of fossil fuels from industries producing cement, steel, textiles and fertilisers but includes fuel combustion from transportation, your automobile, electricity and natural gas. In terms of consumer products this includes, everything from clothes, furniture, appliances, computers, electronics, food anything else processed, packaged or manufactured.
How much Carbon Dioxide do I contribute to global warming?
Click here to calculate your personal impact on global warming. For a list of country emissions please see the Country Emissions page in this section of the website.
What can I do to stop global warming?
You can take immediate action by reducing your personal emissions (see suggestions in the Small Changes section of this website. Secondly, you can vote for politicians that are focused on programs or solutions to reduce global warming. Lastly, spread the word and join forces with organizations and websites that are dedicated to saving our planet, here are a few to check out:
What are carbon credits?
The concept of carbon credits was developed as a result of the Kyoto Protocol ratification and seeks to encourage countries to reduce their GHG emissions. Each carbon credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide either, removed from the atmosphere, recaptured or saved from being emitted.
How does planting trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere?
Carbon storage in forests is part of a natural cycle, whereby some carbon is removed from the atmosphere and incorporated into the plant, and at the same time some carbon is released back to the atmosphere from the decomposition of organic matter. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed into a leaf through holes (stomata) in the leaf's surface, where it is combined with water using energy from light. The products of this chemical reaction are carbohydrates, oxygen and water. The oxygen and water are released from the leaf through the stomata, and the carbohydrates are transported to other parts of the plant where they are used as an energy source and to build structural components of the plant.
How do you determine the number of carbon credits acquired by planting trees?
Before commencing tree sequestration projects CFS completes an independent feasibility study to determine the viability of the land and species of trees to be planted. Based on the type of land and condition of soil, geographical location and species of trees planted, Registered Professional Biologist’s (R.P. Bio) and Forester’s (R.P.F.) can project the amount of carbon to be sequestered each year. However, once the trees are planted the exact volume of carbon sequestered by a tree can be simply measured by its growth.
Does CFS use any third party verification to validate it’s calculation of carbon credits?
Yes, all procedures and methodologies for the calculation of carbon credits from CFS projects designated for the Kyoto / Post-Kyoto period are completed in accordance to either the Joint Implementation Mechanism or the Clean Development Mechanism derived from the Kyoto Protocol.
The methodologies for quantifying, documenting and reporting of carbon dioxide removals from all CFS Voluntary Projects in Poland are first calculated in accordance to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) Good Practice Guidance for LULUCF and verified by The National Administration of the Emission Trading Scheme, Institute of Environmental Protection in Poland, called KASHUE. Then secondly, project methodologies are further validated to the International Standards Organization ISO-14064-2 standard by TUV Rheinland Poland LLC, an accredited third party verifier by KASHUE (listed on their website at www.kashue.pl).
What is photosynthesis?
While humans and other animals eat food, converting it into glucose for energy, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and create glucose. The carbon sequestration occurs naturally through photosynthesis, which is the process of using energy in sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. Hence trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere and use it to grow and survive, thereby storing carbon within the tree.
Don't trees also emit some carbon dioxide naturally?
Yes, trees respire in the same manner as all organisms do. However, trees take in CO2 at a much higher rate. If this did not occur then they would not be able to survive and grow. Some of this carbon is stored in long-lived plant tissues, such as wood, whereas some is stored in short-lived tissues, such as leaves and fine roots. When plant tissues die (such as leaves and fine roots), they are decomposed by micro-organisms, resulting in the release (respiration) of CO2 to the atmosphere. The micro-organisms gain energy from this process, in much the same way that humans get energy from digestion of food.
What species of trees is CFS planting?
Typically organizations and project proponents completing reforestation or afforestation activities such as CFS will plant fast growing trees approved in that region to maximize carbon absorption. For our current projects in Poland this includes a combination of the following species; Pine, Larch, Oak, Alder, Beech, Birch and Lime trees.
What happens if a forest planted by CFS is harvested or destroyed by fire or pests?
CFS is responsible for maintenance and care for the term of each project. In the unlikely event a project is destroyed or damaged by fire or infestation, the future carbon sequestration credits lost from the project site will be removed from inventory or replaced with equal credits from another CFS project.
How long do the trees in each project remain planted?
CFS signs long term contracts with vacant land owners for the purpose of creating new forests. Typically the vacant land is leased to CFS for a specified period of time to complete forestation activities, usually a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 40 years. The trees will remain planted for the entire project period and then the land is returned to the owner of the property.
How long can the trees sequester carbon?
This will vary depending on the type of species and region in which the trees are planted. In Poland the typical native trees that CFS is planting will continue to sequester a net positive amount of carbon over a 60 to 80 year cycle period. At which time it may become more prudent to harvest and re-plant the forest to once again maximize carbon absorption. This is only applies provided that the harvested wood is being used in a sustainable manner to ensure the best possibility for the carbon to remain in the harvested wood and not be used for purposes that will release the carbon back to the atmosphere.
What about sustainability and permanence?
CFS feels strongly about the future sustainability of the land and trees of each project. While at this time CFS cannot force the land owner to agree to this philosophy CFS strongly urges the land owner to consider implementing a future strategy to ensure the trees if harvested, are only used in ways that will not release the carbon back to the atmosphere.
Are there any limits on the amount of Carbon Credits that can be obtained from planting trees?
There are currently no limits on the credits that can be obtained from UNFCCC approved reforestation projects.
A 2006 report by MIT indicated that with a $1 billion investment in the coming years, geothermal energy could supply 10% of all U.S. power needs by 2050, on a par with nuclear and hydroelectric power.
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