LONGUEUIL, QC, - Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP), at its semi-annual meeting in Lévis, renewed its leadership role in the fight against climate change. Having attained their first greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target set in 2018, the province's maple producers are now aiming for a 42% reduction of emissions by 2030 (over 2020).
"Today, we are seeing the serious, committed efforts of our producers come to fruition, allowing us to pursue the even greater ambition of a fully carbon-efficient industry. QMSP will continue to promote environmentally responsible practices and to actively undertake the understanding of sustainable development, with the help of the studies we have underway. With our initiatives and science-based targets, QMSP demonstrates that the maple industry is determined in the fight against climate change. It is our response to what the Québec government and society in general wants: to be part of the solution," said Québec Maple Syrup Producers President Luc Goulet.
To achieve this new GHG reduction goal, QMSP is implementing tools that will allow its members to better measure their greenhouse gas emissions at the individual sugar bush level. Their efforts to reduce their own ecological footprints will be aided through the development and usage of technologies found through continuing investments in research and innovation.
The Sugar Bush Provides Vital Ecological Services
Beyond these new commitments to GHG emission reduction, QMSP revealed the results of a study by Groupe AGÉCO that detailed the twelve ecological goods and services that the Québec sugar bush provides to our world, above and beyond the fact that the maple forest is home to an immensely rich biodiversity. These include carbon sequestration and storage: Québec's sugar bushes store 744,000 metric tons of carbon per year, eleven times more than maple syrup production creates. This is equivalent to the emissions of 220,000 vehicles or 440 million litres of gas in the same period.
Source : Newswire.ca