Evrópuráðið leggur til að landnotkun verði hluti af orku- og loftslagsmarkmiðunum fram til 2030

If the recent proposal from the European Commission to integrate the land use sector into the EU 2030 Climate and Energy Framework is adopted, than forest management and afforestation programs may have greater value to the Government as a mechanism for national emission reductions. 

 

Here is a quote from the memo shown here:    http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-2496_en.htm

 

Land use and forestry include our use of soils, trees, plants, biomass and timber, and are in a unique position to contribute to a robust climate policy. This is because the sector not only emits greenhouse gases but can also remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. EU forests absorb the equivalent of nearly 10% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions each year.

 

What percentage of Iceland's total GHG emissions are absorbed by Iceland's forests? Perhaps, the EU's number of 10% is something you could use to promote more tree planting and justify additional Government funding. The Government will need to spend money to achieve its commitments to national emission reductions, and this might be another argument you could use to direct some of the Government's spending to your programs. 

 

More detailed information about the proposal can be found at the following link.