UK company presents President Bush with US$3.3 billion bill for CO2 sequestration

Due to the President’s determination to use carbon sinks to offset his nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, Future Forests has sent an invoice and letter to the US Ambassador in Britain and a copy addressed to President Bush care of the White House, Washington DC, USA.

The bill is for 2.56 million hectares of forest – assuming 60 tonnes of carbon is sequestered per hectare over a 100 year period – which is equivalent to an area of approximately 10.6% of the UK landmass, and represents 2.8 billion trees.

Future Forests has planted over 50 new native forests across the UK, as well as in India and Mexico. It works with over 90 businesses and 10,000 individuals to encourage reduction of emissions at source, and offset of remaining emissions through responsible forestry programmes. Future Forests has addressed the UN Assembly on Sustainable Development, and lobbied for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in the Hague and at Bonn.

The organisation describes its position as pro-planting, and anti-sink, regarding emission reduction as critical in combating global warming, and believes that tree planting makes a serious global issue in which individuals can get involved. In response to recent research which revealed doubts over the validity of the use of carbon sinks to combat climate change (see related story), Future Forests states that there is considerable difference between the role of carbon ‘sinks’, which are mature stands of trees, and Future Forests’ programme of planting new saplings to accumulate carbon into their biomass whilst they grow.