Forests, soil protection discussed at UN climate conference in Poland

Lectures on forests and soil as important carbon pools were being delivered in the Polish pavilion at the United Nations’ COP24 conference, which aims to discuss ways of tackling global warming and climate change.

René Castro, Assistant Director-General for Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), told the conference that forests were an important tool in reducing CO₂ emissions.

“Over the next 10 years, managing forests and soil will be the most effective way to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere,” Castro said.

The Director-General of Poland’s State Forests authority, Andrzej Konieczny, said that Polish forests grew by 50,000 hectares last year.

He added that this growth was “exceptionally important … as 5 million hectares of forests are cut down annually” in the world.

Forests comprise 30 percent of Poland’s area, slightly below the EU average of 38 percent, according to Konieczny.

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as COP24, officially opened in Katowice on Monday and runs until December 14.

Speaking at the official opening of the summit on Monday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country was "ready to take its share of responsibility for international security," including in terms of climate policy.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told international leaders on Tuesday, the second day of the conference, that his country was among nations leading the way in efforts to stop global warming.

(tf/gs)

Source: PAP