This just in from the Forest Products Association of Canada:
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announced today that Canada’s forest products industry, a global leader in sustainable forest management, is setting a new bar for environmental responsibility and action on climate change: industry-wide carbon-neutrality by 2015 without the purchase of carbon offset credits. A partnership with WWF-Canada will inform and help guide the initiative. The announcement was made at the second annual Business of Climate Change Conference in Ottawa.
“We are pleased that FPAC is taking such a leadership position and not waiting for government regulations before taking action. My big hope is that other Canadian sectors will follow suit and rise to the challenge,” said Mike Russill, President and CEO of WWF-Canada.
“Climate change is the number one environmental threat facing the world today and becoming carbon neutral is the most significant step the forest products sector can take to reduce its overall environmental footprint,” said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC. “Canada’s forest products industry has already made significant strides in mitigating its impact on the climate and its next step is to be carbon-neutral. The initiative we are announcing today has the potential to not only move the industry towards carbon-neutrality by 2015 but to go beyond, potentially removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than we emit. And, unlike other sectors that rely significantly on the purchase of offsets, we can get there without having to do so.”
“The road will not be easy but we are confident that we can get there with the help of our partners and key stakeholders, and the guidance of other advisors,” added Lazar. “WWF has already begun some groundbreaking research into the global potential of sustainable forestry for bioenergy supply and climate change mitigation, and their Climate Savers program has established a high standard of emission reductions among leaders in many business sectors.”