Abstract
Amazonia contains more carbon (C) than a decade of global, human-induced CO2 emissions (60–80 billion tons). This C is gradually being released to the atmosphere through deforestation. Projected increases in Amazon deforestation associated with investments in road paving and other types of infrastructure may increase these C emissions. An increase of 25–40% in Amazon deforestation due to projected road paving could counterbalance nearly half of the reductions in C emissions that would be achieved if the Kyoto Protocol were implemented. Forecasted emission increases could be curtailed if development strategies aimed at controlling frontier expansion and creating economic alternatives were implemented. Given ancillary benefits and relative low costs, reducing deforestation in Amazonia and other tropical areas could be an attractive option for climate mitigation. Projects that help contain deforestation and reduce frontier expansion can play an important role in climate change mitigation but currently are not allowed as an abatement strategy under the climate regime. Creating incentives for forest conservation and decreased deforestation can be a unique opportunity for both forest conservation and climate mitigation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alves, D.: 2002, ‘An analysis of the geographical patterns of deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia the 1991–1996 period’, in C. Wood and R. Porro (eds.), Patterns and Processes of Land Use and Forest Change in the Amazon, Gainesville, University of Florida Press.
Arima, E. and Uhl, C.: 1997, ‘Ranching Brazilian Amazon in the national context: economics, policy and practices’, Society and Natural Resources 10, 433–451.
Bass, S. et al.: 2000, Rural Livelihoods and Carbon Management, London, IIED.
Becker, B.: 1999, Cendrios de curto prazo para o desenvolvimento da Amazônia,Cadernos do NAPIAm, n.6.
Becker, B.: 2001, ‘Amazonian frontiers at the beginning of the 21st Century’, in D.J. Hogan and M.T. Tolmasquim (eds.), Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change: Brazilian Perspectives, Rio de Janeiro, Academia Brasileira de Ciências, pp. 299–324.
Brown, P., Kete, N. and Livernash, R.: 1998, `Forest and land use projects’, in J. Goldemberg (ed.), Issues and Options–the Clean Development Mechanism, United Nations Development Program, New York, pp. 163–173.
Carvalho, G., Barros, A.C., Moutinho, P. and Nepstad, D.: 2001, ‘Sensitive development could protect Amazonia instead of destroying it’, Nature 409, 131.
Carvalho, G.O., Nepstad, D., McGrath, D. Del CarmenVera Diaz, M., Suntilli, M. and Barros, A.C.: 2002, ‘Frontier expansion in the Amazon: balancing development and sustainability’, Environment 44 (3), 34–42.
Chomitz, K.: 2000, Evaluating Carbon Offsets from Forestry and Energy Projects: How do They Compare? Washington, D.C., The World Bank Development Research Group, Infrastructure and Environment, Policy Research Working Paper.
Fearnside, P.: 1995, ‘Hydroelectric dams in the Brazilian Amazon as sources of greenhouse gases’, Environmental Conservation 22, 7–19.
Fearnside, P.: 1997, ‘Greenhouse gases from deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: net committed emissions’, Climatic Change 35, 321–360.
Fearnside, P.: 2002, `cControle de desmatamento no Mato Grosso: Um novo modelo para reduzir a velocidade da perda da Floresta Amazonica’, paper presented at the Seminar Applications of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems in the Brazilian Amazon April 02–03, Brasilia-DE, Brazil.
Fearnside, P. and Barbosa, R.: 1996, ‘The Cotingo Dam as a Test of Brazil’s System for Evaluating Proposed Developments in Amazonia’, Environmental Management 20, 631–648.
Frumhoff, P., Goetze, D. and Hardner, J.: 1998, Linking Solutions to Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss Through the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism,Union of Concerned Scientists.
Hardner, J., Frumhoff, P. and Goetze, D.: 2000, ‘Prospects for mitigating carbon, conserving biodiversity, and promoting socioeconomic development objectives through the clean development mechanism’, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 5 (1), 61–80.
Houghton, R.A., Skole, D., Nobre, C.A., Hackler, J., Lawrence, K. and Chomentowski, W.: 2000, `Annual
fluxes of carbon from deforestation and regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon’, Nature 403, 301–304.
Houghton, R., Lawrence, K., Hackler, J. and Brown, S.: 2001, ‘The spatial distribution of forest biomass in the Brazilian Amazon: a comparison of estimates’, Global Change Biology 7, 731–746.
INPE: 2000, Monitoring of the Brazilian Amazon Forest by Satellite 1999–2000, S.J. dos Campos, Brasil, .
IPCC: 2000, IPCC Special Report, Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry,http://www.grida.no/ climate/ipcc/land_use/index.htm.
IPCC: 2001, Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, http://www.ipcc.ch/.
Mahar, D.:1988, Government Policies and Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon Region,Washington, DC, World Bank.
Mattos, L. and Nepstad, D.: 2002, An Agricultural and Environmental Credit Line for Amazon Farmers, London, IV Katoomba Group Meeting.
Moura Costa, P. and Wilson, C.: 2000, ‘An equivalence factor between CO2 avoided emissions and sequestration–description and applications in forestry’, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 5 (1), 51–60.
Moura Costa, P., Stuart, M., Pinard, M. and Phillips, G.: 2000, ‘Elements of a certification system for forestry-based carbon offset projects’, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 5 (1), 39–50.
Nepstad, D.C., Verissimo, A., Alencar, A., Nobre, C.A., Lima, E., Lefebvre, P., Schlesinger, P., Potter, C., Moutinho, P., Mendonza, E., Cochrane, M. and Brooks, V.: 1999, `Large-scale impoverishment of Amazonian forests by logging and fire’, Nature 398, 505–508.
Nepstad, D., Carvalho, G., Barros, A.C., Alencar, A., Capobianco, J.E, Bishop, J. Moutinho, P., Lefebvre, P., Lopes Silva, Jr. U. and Prins E.: 2001, ‘Road paving, fire regime and the future of Amazon forests’, Forest Ecology and Management 154, 395–407.
Nepstad, D., McGrath, D., Alencar, A., Barros, A.C., Carvalho, G., Santilli, M. and del C. Vera Diaz, M.: 2002, ‘Frontier governance in Amazonia’, Science 295, 629–631.
Schmink, M. and Wood, C.: 1992, Contested Frontiers in Amazônia, New York, Columbia University Press.
Seroa da Motta, R., Ferraz C. and Young, C.: 2000, ‘Brazil: CDM opportunities and benefits’, in Financing Sustainable Development with the Clean Development Mechanism, Washington, DC, World Resources Institute, pp. 18–31.
Tolmasquim, M., Cohen, C. and Szklo, A.: 2001, Development of Energy Consumption and CO 2 Emissions in the Brazilian Industrial Sector According to the Integrated Energy Planning Model (iepm), Rio de Janeiro, COPPE/UFRJ.
WRI: 1998a, The Clean Development Mechanism and the Role of Forests and Land-Use Change in Developing Countries, Washington, DC, World Resources Institute.
WRI: 1998b, Biodiversity and Climate: Key Issues and Opportunities Emerging from the Kyoto Protocol, Washington, DC, World Resources Institute.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Carvalho, G., Moutinho, P., Nepstad, D., Mattos, L., Santilli, M. (2004). An Amazon Perspective on the Forest-Climate Connection: Opportunity for Climate Mitigation, Conservation and Development?. In: Wassmann, R., Vlek, P.L.G. (eds) Tropical Agriculture in Transition — Opportunities for Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions?. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3604-6_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3604-6_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6341-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3604-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive