Canada Will Protect Boreal Forest
July 16, 2008
Back to News Home
The Canadian province of Ontario has announced a plan that will protect a vast area of forest in an effort to fight global warming and reduce the country's carbon footprint. The plan will protect nearly half of the forest land of Ontario, or roughly 87,000 square miles. This is an area similar in size to the entire United Kingdom.
The plan, which has received wide praise from environmental groups and the general public, was announced by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty early this week.
The area of forest that is to be protected absorbs 12.5 million tons of carbon emissions every year. By protecting this land, the government of Ontario is showing a clear determination to fight global warming and reduce the province’s carbon footprint, in spite of increased pressure from lobby groups to use the land for logging and mining exploration.
Now the use of the land will be restricted to eco-tourism and traditional aboriginal uses, such as hunting and fishing.
Canada’s boreal forest, which crosses almost the entire country, is home to billions of migrating birds, and several threatened species, such as polar bears and caribou.
While Canada does not have the best record for its efforts to fight global warming, largely due to a lack of leadership from the federal government, this move is another example of the provinces taking upon themselves to reduce their carbon footprint. Ontario and Quebec have recently announced that they will enter into a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, and British Columbia implemented a carbon tax earlier this year.
Share This Story: |