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Policy statement on climate change released

3 Dec 2015

The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) released a statement on climate change, presenting the contributions of forests and the forest products industry to the mitigation of global climate change and calls on governments to recognise these contributions. This statement forms part of ICFPA's involvement in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting (COP21) in Paris, France.

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The ICFPA will elaborate on the forest products industry's efforts at a COP21 side-event - "Assessing transparency and ambition in the land use and forestry sector", held at the EU Pavilion on 1 December at 2.30 pm. The side-event will be hosted by the ICFPA and the EU Joint Research Centre.

The Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) promotes the renewability and recyclability of paper products both locally and in collaboration with global ICFPA members, says Jane Molony, PAMSA executive director. "Key to PAMSA's agenda is upholding sustainable forest management and paper production as an efficient and cost-effective solution to climate change mitigation." PAMSA's core focus areas include lobbying for fair and applicable legislation, boosting education and skills development as well as investing in research and innovation.

The industry has made significant contributions to mitigate climate change. In addition to greenhouse gas (GHG) removals and stocking carbon in products, ICFPA members have achieved an impressive drop in their GHG emissions intensity: five percent since 2010/2011 and 17 percent since the 2004-2005 baseline year, as shown in the ICFPA 2015 Sustainability Progress Report (2013 data).

The statement calls on governments and the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to recognise sustainable forest management and reforestation activities for their contribution to the global climate effort. It also requests the recognition of the efforts and achievements of the forest products industry to mitigate climate change. This includes the carbon neutrality of biomass harvested from sustainably managed forests and the need to provide for market-based mechanisms capable of valuing mitigation actions to incentivise the industry's potential contribution.

The ICFPA's statement is the latest in a series of policy statements underwritten by its members associations. The ICFPA serves as a forum of global dialogue, coordination and cooperation. Together, ICFPA members represent over 90 percent of global paper production and more than half of global wood production. For more information, visit icfpa.org.

Full policy statement