Calif. Branches Into Forests to Fight Climate Change

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 1, 2009 3:10 AM CDT

(Newser) – The California government is preparing to enter into the "forest bank" business in a bid to save woodlands and battle carbon pollution and climate change, reports the Los Angeles Times. The state is expected to roll out a California "cabon market" that may be expanded elsewhere in the West if it works. The program will allow forest owners to sell "carbon credits" saved when they don't log their land. The credits will help offset carbon pollution in upcoming development.

Carbon-absorbing forests "can be managed like a long-term carbon bank," said a spokeswoman for a nonprofit that arranges a similar program. Selling offsets is like "writing checks on the account," she said. Critics warn, however, that the system could hand a blank check to rich corporations to pollute certain regions, while other Americans reap the benefits of forests and clean air. "You leave the system open to gaming," warned an environmentalist.

Protecting carbon-absorbing forests is key to battling global warming. (©leduardo)

Muir Woods (©leduardo)

knobbly tree (©graymalkn)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Calif. Scientists Trim Forest, Create 'Carbon Bank'

Researchers look for the most efficient way to store emissions

(NEWSER) - Researchers in California are perfecting the science of carbon dioxide "banking"—tweaking a forest to store the maximum amount of the gas. In Big River forest, scientists have cleared some undergrowth, leaving the state's iconic redwoods to grow bigger thanks to lack of competition. The idea is that the bigger redwoods will make the "weeded" forest a maximally efficient carbon storage house. More»

Smog Costs California $28B a Year

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

(NEWSER) - Health problems caused by pollution choke $28 billion out of California's economy every year, according to a new study. Most of the cost is linked to 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, along with days of work missed by workers with respiratory problems aggravated by pollution spewed from tailpipes and smokestacks, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

Site Ranks Power-Plant Polluters

Australia tops per capita, America absolute lists

(NEWSER) - A study of power-plant emissions names Australia as the lead polluter per capita in a field crowded with competition, Mother Jones reports. Aussie power plants produce 11 tons of carbon dioxide per person annually; American plants generate nine. The US produces the most cumulative emissions, though developing giants China and India are closing in despite low per-capita output. More»

Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

Inconvenient Truth director says offsets have 'symbolic quality'

(NEWSER) - Everyone from Al Gore to Coldplay has jumped on the carbon offset bandwagon, but the Los Angeles Times reports that their payments don’t actually make the air any cleaner. Here's how they work: "Offset” companies invest in existing clean energy and win the right to sell “reductions” in their name. When greenies pay up, they're only buying emission-less energy that would have been running anyway. More»

Calif. Town Is Nation's Smoggiest

Air above tiny Arvin is a magnet for pollutants

(NEWSER) - Arvin, Calif., proves that you don’t need factories or freeways to have America’s worst air pollution. The agricultural town’s mountain locale collects pollution, the AP reports, giving the air a toxic smell and raising health concerns. The EPA uses the ozone level to gauge smog across the country, and from 2004 to 2006, Arvin (pop. 15,000) brought up the rear. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Calif. Branches Into Forests to Fight Climate Change

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

California • pollution • carbon footprint • carbon offsets • carbon • air pollution • logging • timber • carbon emissions • redwoods

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Calif. Scientists Trim Forest, Create 'Carbon Bank'

Researchers look for the most efficient way to store emissions

Smog Costs California $28B a Year

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

Site Ranks Power-Plant Polluters

Australia tops per capita, America absolute lists

Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

Inconvenient Truth director says offsets have 'symbolic quality'

Calif. Town Is Nation's Smoggiest

Air above tiny Arvin is a magnet for pollutants

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Calif. Branches Into Forests to Fight Climate Change

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

California • pollution • carbon footprint • carbon offsets • carbon • air pollution • logging • timber • carbon emissions • redwoods

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Calif. Scientists Trim Forest, Create 'Carbon Bank'

Researchers look for the most efficient way to store emissions

Smog Costs California $28B a Year

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

Site Ranks Power-Plant Polluters

Australia tops per capita, America absolute lists

Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

Inconvenient Truth director says offsets have 'symbolic quality'

Calif. Town Is Nation's Smoggiest

Air above tiny Arvin is a magnet for pollutants

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?