What was Canada’s position on forests in the Kyoto Protocol?
Canada negotiated vigorously to ensure that countries participating in the Kyoto Protocol (the “Parties”) had the option of including forest management when accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and removals. The Canadian government believed this option would be an incentive for Parties to focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from and increasing the carbon uptake in forests, which would ultimately support sustainable forest management. At the same time, the government believed it might also help Canada meet its commitments for emission limitations and reductions under the Protocol. However, because forests are often subject to fires and insect infestations, which release carbon dioxide, Canada’s managed forest could also be a carbon source. For that reason, Canada supported the inclusion of forest management in the Protocol as an option rather than a requirement. This allowed more time to analyze and better understand how forest management would affect Canada’s Kyoto accounting
