By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Protecting old-growth forests in the BC interior could generate more than $43 billion over the next century \u2014 far more than logging the land, a report says. Research by environmental consultancy ESSA Technologies determined that if all the old-growth forest in regions around the Okanagan and Prince George were fully protected, the carbon storage alone would keep 28 million tonnes of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere over the next 100 years. That\u2019s roughly what would be generated by burning 63 million barrels of oil, and would be worth $43 billion \u2014 $33 billion for Prince George and $10 billion for the Okanagan. Even limited protection of only the most at-risk forests would yield $11 billion in benefits. \u201cThe value… <\/p>\n
By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Protecting old-growth forests in the BC interior could generate more than $43 billion over the next century \u2014 far more than logging the land, a report says. Research by environmental consultancy ESSA Technologies determined that if all the old-growth forest in regions around the Okanagan and Prince George were fully protected, the carbon storage alone would keep 28 million tonnes of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere over the next 100 years. That\u2019s roughly what would be generated by burning 63 million barrels of oil, and would be worth $43 billion \u2014 $33 billion for Prince George and $10 billion for the Okanagan. Even limited protection of only the most at-risk forests would yield $11 billion in benefits. \u201cThe value... <\/p>\n