Major Reduction in CO2 Emissions

China has promulgated nine national laws, 15 administrative rules and regulations, 43 statutes issued by relevant authorities and 300-odd regional laws to govern its forest resources, protect wildlife and control desertification. Under these ordinances the state has launched several campaigns to fight illegal logging and arbitrary requisition of wooded lands, closely monitors and guards against forest disasters, and presses forward with construction of nature reserves.

These efforts have brought results. The seventh census on China's forest resources (2004-2008) found that forests totaled 195 million hectares, covering 20.36 percent of Chinese territory, meaning that China's target of 20 percent green coverage was achieved two years ahead of schedule. Of the total 13.72 billion cubic meters of growing stock, 1.96 billion cubic meters were planted, and the plantations amount to 62 million hectares. These figures put China in fifth place in the world in terms of forest acreage, sixth place in terms of growing stock and first place in terms of planted forests.

Compared with the previous census, China's forests expanded by 20.54 million hectares; forest coverage edged up by 2.15 percent; and growing stock increased by 1.123 billion cubic meters. At a closer analysis, natural forests grew by 3.93 million hectares, with a net increase of growing stock of 676 million cubic meters; planted forests gained 8.43 million hectares with an added growing stock of 447 million cubic meters; the per hectare growing stock of arboreal forests inched up by 1.15 cubic meters; and the proportion of mixed forests rose by 9.17 percent. These indicate improved quality of the forest resources.

The value of forests to a nation is not solely as a source of construction materials and fuel: they absorb tremendous volumes of carbon dioxide; they are critical to efforts to arrest climate change, to build a resources-frugal and environment-friendly society, to foster a low-carbon economy and to achieve harmony between man and nature. It is estimated that from 1980 to 2005 China cleaned 4.68 billion tons of carbon dioxide as the result of forest plantation and management, and reduced the emission of greenhouse gases by 430 million tons as the result of logging control. The total amount, 5.11 billion tons, made an important contribution to the global war on climate change. The 2007 National Plan in Response to Climate Change issued by the State Council revealed that forests absorbed about 500 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2004, which accounted for eight percent of all greenhouse gases discharged that year. Currently the carbon stock of Chinese forests stands at 7.81 billion tons.