Mitigation activities in the forest sector to reduce emissions and enhance sinks of greenhouse gases

In June 1992, representatives from 172 countries gathered at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro to discuss environmental issues. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) was adopted to achieve ". . . stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner." The nonbinding goal of the Convention was "to return emissions of greenhouse gases to their 1990 levels by the end of the decade." The United States responded to the FCCC in 1993 with the "Climate Change Action Plan," a collection of about 40 individual programs covering emissions reductions, energy efficiency, and productivity enhancements including forestry activities.

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