It seems that there is quite a divergence in the forest removal and plantation policies. China for example has gained 401490 sq. km of forest area over the period 1990-2005, while Brazil has lost roughly the same amount: 423290 sq. km (WDI data). Relatively it means a net loss of 8% for Brazil and a gain of 25% for China. Our peer student bloggers from the China economics blog however point to some concerns about the wood processing being a polluting industry and the choice of poplar kind not being able to capture carbon dioxide... The reforestation projects also compete with arable land and create a dilemma in the effort of feeding a growing population.
Reforestation efforts should be just as important as efforts to preserve the existing forests. After all the world lost 1.3 million square km. of forest in the mentioned time period.
Posts
That reminds me of the Green Wall of China campaign, where the government sends students out to plant trees. Macroengineering!
ReplyDelete