Business Done Better Reduces Causes of Climate Change in Australia

When talking about deforestation as one of the causes of climate change, the image that springs to mind for most people is probably one of tropical hardwoods being felled in Brazil, Indonesia, or some other developing country located near the equator. It's true that the majority of countries experiencing the worst deforestation today are tropical, developing nations. However forests are also under siege in industrialized, mainly temperate countries that still have large tracts of primary forest within their borders.

This month some of the world's most threatened temperate old growth forest won a stay of execution, welcomed by environmental groups hoping to save biodiversity and reduce the causes of climate change. The Australian logging giant Gunns Limited announced intentions to end its logging of old growth forests on the sparsely populated island of Tasmania. This decision is a clear response to public pressure from the Australian public, local environmental groups, and even consumers who buy Gunns' products abroad. It's also an encouraging example of how a large company can be pressured into doing business better.

Groups like the Australian Wilderness Society, Environment Tasmania, and the Australian Conservation Fund have spent years pressuring Gunns to abandon its logging of Tasmania's old growth forests. Though many groups involved in the dispute were originally motivated by concerns about biodiversity loss or the destruction of one of the world's most pristine wildernesses, a need to address the causes of climate change injected new urgency into the debate in recent years. Australia is one of a handful of developed countries where deforestation has continued apace at a rate normally associated with tropical developing nations.

Yet the public pressure campaign against Gunns, which is the biggest producer of hardwood pulp in Australia, was not limited to domestic environmental groups. Gunns produces paper products which are exported to Japan, and Japanese consumers let it be known they were not happy with the company's deforestation record. In 2005 the Rainforest Action Network, a group with US roots that has a chapter in Japan, mounted an effective campaign to educate consumers about Gunns' contribution to forest destruction, biodiversity loss, and the causes of climate change.

Finally, earlier this month Gunns CEO Greg L'Estrange made the announcement that Gunns no longer wants to be known as a destroyer of ancient forests and will shift to sourcing wood only from existing plantation lands. As is usually true in such cases, it remains to be seen exactly how well Gunns follows through on these commitments. However it's encouraging to see at least some of the pressure reduced on Tasmania's forests and the vast carbon sinks they represent.

How else might international public pressure be harnessed to stop deforestation and the causes of climate change? And with Gunns finally pulling out of old growth forest destruction, what other companies need to stand up to the plate? Please share your thoughts below!

Photo credit: Mary on Flickr

Nick Engelfried is a freelance writer on climate and energy issues, and works with campuses and communities in the Pacific Northwest to reduce the causes of climate change.