Concerns over biomass sources of greenhouse gases: potential issues in selected Asian Nations

Abstract

Issues related to developing country sources of greenhouse gases are likely to be among the most difficult and contentious matters in any concerted international attempt to curtail emissions of greenhouse gases. Biomass sources of such gases as methane and carbon dioxide come largely from lower income nations and represent particularly difficult problems because of their close association with food production and near‐term economic gains from exploiting (and over‐exploiting) natural forests. This paper examines the role of six large‐economy, lower‐income Asian nations in methane emissions from rice and ruminant livestock, and carbon dioxide from net deforestation. Carbon emissions from deforestation are compared to those from each country's use of fossil fuels. Each country considered here is a significant biomass source of methane, carbon dioxide or both. It is the authors’ view that resource transfers from wealthier to lower income countries to curtail the emissions of greenhouse gases are an appropriat...