Whatever the nations of the world determine about global warming, credit should be given to the forest products industry because our managed forests absorb and store large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas, which many people believe contributes to global warming.
International Paper, which grows trees to support our business of producing paper and other forest-based products , believes we may play a large role in solving the problem. Our extensive use of biomass fuels instead of fossil fuels at many of our manufacturing sites also reduces the increase of carbon dioxide which is caused by burning fossil fuel. Long before the international climate change negotiations reached this important stage, our company began studying this issue, designing a lifecycle assessment of our carbon cycle. The results of this study will help us more clearly identify our role in the reduction of the carbon dioxide being emitted to the atmosphere.