Productive forests, sustainable supply chains can be cornerstone for tackling climate change

Productive forests, forested landscapes and their associated value chains have the potential to be a cornerstone of efforts to combat climate change, according to ITTO’s Executive Director, Dr Gerhard Dieterle. He expressed the view in his intervention at the high-level segment of the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP23) now underway in Bonn, Germany.

Dr Dieterle referred to new scientific findings indicating that forest degradation in the tropics has been vastly underestimated and is contributing a much higher share of carbon dioxide emissions than previously assumed. This “alarming new development”, said Dr Dieterle, “requires urgent attention to realize the potential of tropical forests as a major pillar in international climate mitigation and adaptation efforts”.