December 2015: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has issued a publication containing key messages from the February 2015 International Online Conference on the ‘Economics of Climate Change Mitigation Options in the Forest Sector.’ The report addresses afforestation and reforestation, reduced deforestation and degradation, changing forest management practices, wood energy, green building and sustainable packaging.

The summary report underlines that forests have roles to play beyond capturing and storing carbon for climate change mitigation, and calls for public policies, positive incentives and concerted efforts to tap the mitigation potential of sustainable forest products and ecosystem services. Other key messages highlight the viability of using sustainably produced wood as an alternative to fossil fuels under the right market conditions, as well as using wood to replace carbon emission intense products in building and packaging sectors. It is further noted that to accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of climate change mitigation options in the forest sector, it is necessary to factor in forests’ significant contributions to livelihoods and ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

The online conference attracted more than 900 participants from over 114 countries, and witnessed 51 technical presentations, including 31 country case studies. The summary report comes ahead of a major publication that will contain more in-depth discussions and data on the mitigation options addressed at the conference. It is expected to be launched in July 2016. [Publication: The Economics of Climate Change Mitigation Options in the Forest Sector. Summary Report]