Planetary Boundaries and the Role of the Forest-Based Sector

Abstract

Abstract‘Planetary boundaries’ is a concept that has been introduced by Earth system scientists to refer particularly to anthropogenic pressures on the Earth system that have reached a scale where abrupt global environmental change can no longer be excluded. In the planetary boundaries discussion, climate change plays a central role due to its overarching impacts on all the other planetary boundaries. For example, climate change critically impacts biodiversity and land-use changes. Consequently, climate change shapes policies, strategies and actions at the global, continental, national, regional and individual levels. The main policy through which the EU is seeking to address climate change and direct the region to live within the planetary boundaries is the European Green Deal (EGD), launched in 2019. The EGD clearly acknowledges the role forests can play in sinking carbon and suggests measures to enhance forest restoration and conservation. However, it falls short of recognising the role that the forest-based bioeconomy can also play in achieving the EGD objectives. History shows that European forests can simultaneously increase the carbon sink, biodiversity and wood production.