The key cause of the climate change is emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. Another key cause is the deforestation that is occurring in certain parts of the world.
Very simply, we need to reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide and we need to bind more of the carbon dioxide already circulating in the atmosphere. Forestry and forest products play a key role in this, since our products consist largely of carbon that the growing trees have absorbed from the atmosphere.
Measuring carbon footprints
A carbon footprint is the total effect a product or a service have on the emissions of climate gases, of which carbon dioxide is the most important one. Other climate gases, such as methane, are recalculated into carbon dioxide equivilants.
To calculate a carbon footprint, you need to make a life cycle analysis of the product with only one parameter measured – carbon dioxide. To cover the full footprint a number of aspects need to be considered. CEPI, the European Forest Industry Federation, has developed a structure covering all these aspects. These are the ten toes of a carbon footprint:
1. Carbon sequestration in forests
2. Carbon in forest products
3. Emissions from manufacturing
4. Emissions from fibre production
5. Emissions from production of other raw materials
6. Emissions from energy production
7. Emissions from transport
8. Emissions from the use of products
9. Emissions from product end-of-life
10. Avoided emissions