On Wednesday, the European Commission presented Frans Timmermans' ambitious plans to drastically reduce the EU's CO2 emissions . Expectations ran high. Would the Commission scrap the burning of biomass? No, we know by now. Meanwhile, the question also remains: how will the Commission deal with natural forests and forestry in the North of the EU?
With the 'Fit for 55' plan, Frans Timmermans presented far-reaching plans on behalf of the European Commission to reduce emissions by 2050% in the interim year 55 on the way to a climate-neutral EU in 2030. Perhaps contrary to expectations, Sweden's industrial forestry policy an obstacle.
logging
Sweden has been cutting down primeval forests at a rapid pace for decades. Monocultures of young forests that do not last more than 60 to 80 years are replacing these ancient trees and causing rich, biodiverse ecosystems to disappear with them. The young forests produce wood for desirable disposable products such as matchboxes, milk cartons, toilet paper and pellets for biomass power stations and fireplaces. However, “these are ancient forests that have been storing carbon since the last ice age. By clear-cutting you release enormous amounts of CO2 in circulation, also from the ground. And if you cut down such species-rich forests, you will never get them back. You can plant trees, but you cannot plant forests,” said Lina Burnelius of the NGO Protect the Forest in de Volkskrant.
Representatives of the Swedish timber sector emphasize that young saplings also store CO2 . In fact, they claim their logging is actually better for the climate because young trees store more CO2 than old ones. Whether that is the case is unclear.
Gert-Jan Nabuurs, professor of European forests at Wageningen University, believes that old forests produce more CO2 save young production forests. However, last year researchers found that primary forests in regions affected by climate change are likely to release CO from 2030 onwards.2 will start to emit as a result of dying trees. A study was published on Nature yesterday that reveals net emissions from the Amazon jungle as a result of forest clearing and climate change.
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