 BERLIN (Reuters) - Governments can help combat climate change by investing more in natural areas, including forests and mangroves, a European study said on Wednesday.
The paper pointed out that nations have natural assets worth trillions of dollars which could help fight global warming and save investment in industrial schemes for carbon capture.
"Natural systems represent one of the biggest untapped allies against the
greatest challenge of this generation," said The Economics of Ecosystems
and Biodiversity (TEEB) study, part of a global project, to be published next
year.
Launched by Germany and the European Commission, the report is examining the
economics of biodiversity loss.
An investment of $45 billion in protected areas could save nature-based services
worth $4.5-$5.2 trillion a year, more than the value of the car, steel and information
technology sectors, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters.
Scientists say preserving nature is crucial in fighting climate change but
warn extinctions are speeding up due to human activity. Extinction rates are
at 1,000 times their natural pace and three species vanish every hour, research
shows.
The study highlighted the role of forests in naturally mitigating CO2 emissions
as they absorb an estimated 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions every
year.
Agreeing on funding to save forests must be a priority for governments at December's
global talks in Copenhagen to try to agree on a successor to the Kyoto protocol
on limiting greenhouse gas emissions, said the authors of the report.
"To target the removal of carbon dioxide, the best mechanism we have is
in nature. In tropical forests we have both an opportunity and a solution to
the significant challenges we face," study leader Pavan Sukhdev told reporters.
The report highlighted the dangers facing coral reefs which have risen due
to a build up of greenhouse gases. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are already
irreversibly damaging coral reefs and their extinction would jeopardize the
livelihoods of millions of people, said the study.
Coral reefs, which protect coastlines from the effects of global warming and
are essential for some kinds of fish, are worth up to $170 billion a year, said
the study.
"An estimated half a billion people depend on them for livelihoods and
more than a quarter of marine fish species are dependent on coral reefs,"
said Sukhdev.
Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Programme said billions
of dollars of government investment in power station carbon capture schemes
may not be the full answer.
"Perhaps it is time to subject this to a full cost benefit analysis to
see whether the technological option matches nature's ability to capture and
store carbon," he said. (By Madeline Chambers; Editing by Janet
Lawrence)
Source: Reuters
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