Cheap Climate Change Solution

Media Release
The Wilderness Society Tasmania Inc
25 May 2011

Protecting Australia’s native forests is a far cheaper and practical way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than planting new forests, the Wilderness Society said today.

The Climate Commission’s report released this week highlighted the fact that established forests store much more carbon than plantations, and that protecting them is an important and urgent policy measure.

Tony Abbott’s direct-action plan to reduce Australia's emissions by 5 per cent by 2020 will cost $10 billion.

"Stopping logging in Tasmania’s old-growth forests and moving the ailing forestry industry into plantation timber would immediately cut Australia’s greenhouse emissions and cost an estimated $100 million – one per cent of big-spending Tony’s carbon-reduction plan," said Vica Bayley, Tasmanian Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society.

"Protecting Australia's carbon dense native forests from logging is a cheap and effective way to reduce damaging levels of carbon pollution. There is a far greater benefit on offer by protecting large, old trees than there is from relying only on planting new trees."

"Protecting forests is a critical element to a comprehensive climate policy that also addresses industrial and other emission intensive activities."

The historic Statement of Principles negotiated between the industry, unions and conservationists, including the Wilderness Society, called for a moratorium on logging of 572,000 hectares of high conservation value forest, yet the moratorium has not been implemented and logging and burning continues.

And industry sources say it will only cost the industry $100m to exit the high conservation value forests and allow them to be protected.

"It is now imperative for the federal and Tasmanian governments to directly engage in the Tasmanian forest peace deal to protect the old-growth forest, save the industry and cut Australia’s CO2 emissions," concluded Mr Bayley.

For further comment contact Vica Bayley, Tasmanian campaign manager, 0400 644 939
For further information contact Alex Tibbitts, media adviser, 0416 420 168