As conditions become hotter and drier, forests themselves are at risk from global warming. According to the IPCC, at least one-third of the world's remaining forests may be adversely affected, particularly in the boreal zone. As climate change speeds up, feedback from soils and vegetation may dwarf the direct effect of burning fossil fuels. Forests globally could become a significant net source of carbon dioxide emissions. As over one hundred governments meet this week in Montreal to discuss future rules to combat global warming, a new study from WWF, the conservation organization, warns that some of the proposals under consideration could allow key polluters like the US to practically meet their international commitments while actually increasing their global warming pollution.
Sinks are activities such as the use of plants and soil to sequester or absorb carbon.
Extensive use of sinks means that countries could actually increase their global warming pollution, while at the same time being seen to comply with their carbon dioxide reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Sinks are included in the Kyoto Protocol in a limited form, but their use could be vastly expanded if the US, Canada, Russia and some other governments get their way. If the rules go wrong the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol is at risk. According to WWF, forests, cropland and rangeland that the rules could write as the solution to climate change, are themselves at risk from global warming, as warming temperatures hinder their ability to absorb carbon and remain a habitat for wildlife. In addition, increased fire, pests, or ecosystem shifts make carbon sequestered in plant-life unstable and sensitive to forces outside human control.