Forests as carbon sinks

In September the European Union announced, for a second time, that it has delayed the launch of its anti-deforestation law. 

In case you came in late ... this is a law that bans the importation of commodities into any of the member nations if the production of those commodities is deemed conducive to the destruction of the world's forests. 

One flashpoint in debate on the subject is palm oil. Indonesia and Malaysia together produce nearly 88% of the global supple of the stuff.  They do it by converting their pristine forests into palm plantations. The heavy machinery involved in clearing the land itself emits hydrocarbons. But, more damningly, it causes soil erosion and water contamination. Beyond either of those points there is the main one. 

Forests are major carbon sinks.  They absorb carbon from the atmosphere into the biomass of the vegetation.  When we speak of "net carbon zero" as a goal we mean creating a world in which as much carbon comes out of the atmosphere as goes back into it.  The growth of trees in forests is a critical means by which carbon comes out of the atmosphere. 

Yes, when the clearing of a forest is intended to create room for a palm plantation, there will be some 'carbon sink' effect from the plantation once it is up and running.  But for the early years of the plantation's development, that sink is lost to the world. And arguably we cannot lose ourselves in a Big Picture when those few years may be critical. 

It is in this context, then, that the EU has been greeted by raspberries from the environmentalists each time it delays the implementation of this rule.