Entry #16: Saving our Forest 7/08/2011

I read an article, "Saving forests one of the most efficient climate remedies: WWF Sweden," dated 2 years ago about how saving trees is better for the environment than carbon capturing and storage techniques. I find this article interesting because countries like Sweden are being persuaded by money in order to keep thier forests.

In the article there's an organization called REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Desegregation) that wants Sweden to keep its forests intact. REDD turned out to be fascinating because they want to encourage most countries to keep the trees, but they also want to make it worth the country's time, so that means money and more money! I think its all very interesting and complicated. REDD cant buy these forests, at least they probably can not pay Sweden what they are worth in development costs, so there needs to be a big sacrifice on the part of Sweden. I think keeping tress around is the best solution to carbon problems, and they say the trees soak up five times more carbon than the carbon capturing and storing process does. Even though trees are great, they are worth a lot of money, in other words their priceless. The trees themselves are worth quite a bit as lumber or furniture then the land that is under those trees can be built on by businesses, or used for farmland, or just about anything else. So there is a lot of money to be made in destroying forests, and almost none to be made in preserving them. I think that REDD is going to have their work cut out for them, and they are going to need a lot of money to try and convince some of these countries to keep their forests around. I think its a noble idea but I also think it sucks that thats what it have to come down to. I think some countries will get on board just because they care about the environment and they want to see this program succeed, but some countries will only get on board if there is money to be gained. As they say "Money make the world go round" and I'm a firm believer of that because that's all this world care about.