Climate Crisis (part 3): Is a Forest Carbon Sink Really a New Concept, and if so, Why?

This is part three of a review of the BCCCP, the BC Climate Change Plan (an extension of the BC Energy Plan). You may want to review the previous three articles -- starting with the Ice Cap article -- to figure out what we're talking about here.

So, to continue, here are more rants on this little piece of disinformation. My main issue with proposing that 50 percent of energy created from this point forward will be sustainable and/or green (SEE Note (a) below) is the implicit problem that percentages must necessarily follow growth, and are always relative. With a growing demand, this number is always going to be decreasing, as population and demand and production are always on the rise. So, my contention is, that 50% today is going to be an ever decreasing percentage 10 years down the road.

Second, and pardon me if I'm too blunt here, why is the state researching "forest carbon sinks" as if this was a NEW concept. I don't understand what they mean by 'research' in their report, as it is explained in extremely vague terms therein and, more importantly, is it not absolute common sense that (since the Kyoto protocol, especially) the concept of CO2 sinks has become more widely known as a form of carbon offset.

NOTES:

(a) "The government will continue to implement the B.C. Energy Plan, which promotes alternative energy and investment in conservation and energy efficiency through a 50 per cent clean energy goal for new electricity demand, new rate structures and regulatory changes"(BCCCP, v).
(b) "The government will continue to improve understanding and protection of the forest carbon sink by supporting modelling and ongoing research, and will continue to protect this sink."(BCCCP, 12).

PICTURE CREDIT: Blittman73's Photostream