Tasmanian Pulp Mill: Emissions Boondoggle

A new report, Green Carbon, from research scientists at the Australian National University has shown the importance of saving native (aka natural) forests to protect the climate. Seems we have been underestimating the carbon store there, at least in the natural eucalyptus forests in Australia. It is also likely we do this elsewhere, or at least get the accounting wrong when we report on our national greenhouse gas emissions. We can look at this in later posts. Here's a link (.pdf) to a synopsis of the report.

A paper company, Gunns, is currently cutting these forests down in Tasmania, replacing the native forests with plantations and thereby reducing the stored carbon to a fraction of its original amount. They also want to build a large pulp mill to further exploit these forests.

Take a look at the Wilderness Society's video of the logging and civil society response.