Dear Editor:
Canadas UNFCCC filings do not make any sense the US EPA GHG Inventory filings include a 730 million tons CO2 equivalent for their forest lands. The UNFAO claims a global offset of 9,200 million tons of CO2 equivalent.
The U.S. to Canada ratio for forest area is 60 per cent. We should have an offset of 1,200 if we are managing our forests at the same level as the U.S. Environment Canadas GHG Inventory filing reports our forest area as producing 72 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year! So, we either have one of the poorest managed forest areas in the world or Environment Canada is filing incorrect data. I find it hard to believe that we could be managing our forest area that badly. If we are that bad, the average Canadian family of four will be ultimately paying $18,000 (after taxes) in carbon taxes yearly due to forest area mismanagement.
The 1,279-unit swing here more than offsets our GHG gross emissions of 732 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. Let us hope that it is a calculation error. That would put carbon taxation on Canadians in a totally ridiculous category. If it is not an error, forest area mismanagement, not fossil fuels, is totally responsible for carbon tax on Canadians.
Jim MacKinnon
Windermere
