2016-12-07
Ms DUNN (Eastern Metropolitan) — The respected journal Nature published a major report on 1 December titled 'Quantifying global soil carbon losses in response to warming'. It provides a comprehensive analysis of warming-induced changes in soil carbon stocks by assembling data from field experiments. It found that the majority of terrestrial carbon is in the soil. It concluded that rising temperatures from climate change will stimulate the net loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere, driving a positive land carbon-climate feedback loop that could further accelerate climate change. Fifty-five billion tonnes of carbon not previously accounted for in forecasts will be emitted into the atmosphere by 2050.
Mountain ash forest in Victoria's Central Highlands can hold up to 1900 tonnes of carbon per hectare in soil, trees and plants, making it the most carbon dense forest in the world — 5 to 10 times more carbon dense than tropical rainforest. Yet in Victoria, VicForests, a state-owned corporation, logs critically endangered mountain ash forest, the most carbon dense, to produce low-grade products like pallets, palings and wood pulp. Beyond the loss of these living carbon stores, the soil is exposed and breaks down and emits carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to this worrying dynamic. A rich carbon store is turned into a carbon bomb.
As part of its latest insult to local communities, and flying in the face of what science is telling it, VicForests is logging the last remnants of messmate forest in the Strathbogie Ranges to sell for firewood. The local community in Strathbogie know this and have petitioned the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, but it would appear that to date their concerns have been ignored.