Analytics

November 19, 2006

Am I worth more than 7 cents?

Yes, if I am traded in the European Union carbon market. My current value as a store of carbon is 7 dollar cents in the Chicago market but 36 cents in the European market. I am about as worthy as a 35 kg wood log, or as Tom Cruise.

Robin Naidoo and Taylor H. Ricketts calculated the monetary value of five "ecosystem services" of the Mbaracayú Forest Biosphere Reserve in Paraguay - sustainable bushmeat harvest, sustainable timber harvest, bioprospecting for pharmaceutical products, existence value, and carbon storage in aboveground biomass. They found that carbon storage yielded by far the highest value - $378/ha on average, compared to $25 for existence and $2 for bioprospecting. This reasoning makes the forests of the reserve less worthy than the eucalypt plantations I see from my home.



No comments:

Post a Comment