Policy Statement on Climate Change – The Paper Story (PAMSA)

Johannesburg – The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) has released its statement on climate change as part of its involvement in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting (COP21) in Paris, France. The statement presents the contributions of forests and the forest products industry to the mitigation of global climate change and calls on governments to recognize these contributions. The full statement is available at: http://www.icfpa.org/uploads/Modules/Publications/icfpa-climate-change.pdf.

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 December 1 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 recognize sustainable forest management and reforestation activities for their contribution to the global climate effort, as well as the recognition of the efforts and achievements of the forest products industry to mitigate climate change, including 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 incentivize the industry’s potential contribution.

The ICFPA’s statement is the latest in a series of policy statements underwritten by its members associations. All ICFPA policy statements are available at icfpa.org/resource-centre/statements.

The ICFPA serves as a forum of global dialogue, co-ordination and co-operation. 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.