2.5 Individual actions: timber
The world's largest forests (boreal and tropical) are important agents in tackling climate change, as plants lock away huge amounts of CO2 through photosynthesis. For many countries, the greatest source of carbon emissions is deforestation, not to mention the loss of wildlife, habitat and indigenous people's way of life. Therefore, take care to buy only timber that has been sustainably harvested.
Several labels are given to timber but some are misleading and many have weak certification schemes. Therefore, it is best to stick to the standard – the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has certified over 100 million hectares of productive forests (around 7 per cent of the total) worldwide as sustainable. Better still, buy secondhand, recycled, reclaimed or waste timber – this is always more sustainable than buying new.
You can watch the video ‘Buyer be fair’ on the FSC website. There is also an independent report on FSC's effectiveness.
Activity 5
Do you know where the timber products in your home or workplace came from? Can you find any that have the FSC logo?
Visit the FSC website and use the ‘Search’ function to find the manufacturers of any three wooden products you use at home or at work. You can ignore the various codes and just type the item (e.g. ‘chair’) into the relevant field. Can you find anything that isn't made with FSC timber?
2.4 Individual actions: energy efficiency