Forests are a crucial element of tackling climate change, cleaning the air and providing materials and energy. A legislative framework for forests must therefore recognise and balance these multiple, and sometimes competing, roles. The European Parliament is currently finalising both the new land use and forestry (LULUCF) file and the proposal for the Renewable Energy Directive, at a time when the role of forests in mitigating climate change and cleaning the air we breathe has never been more vital. MEPs Paul Brannen and Benedek Javor (Greens) invite you to discuss with researchers and policy makers the ways in which the EU’s climate and energy policies relate to forests, and the role they could play in meeting broader EU socio-economic -and environmental objectives.

AGENDA

14:30 Welcome and introductions by host MEP Bendek Javor

14:00 Key notes speeches

The climate impacts of EUs multifunctional forests – Professor Jaana Bäck, University of Helsinki, Chair of the expert group of the EASAC report

How to build climate and energy policy that addresses multiple targets for forests? Director William Gillet, EASAC Energy Programme

The effect of forest ecosystems and biomass combustion on air quality – Carlo Calfapietra, senior researcher at the Italian National Research Council, Institute of Agro Environmental & Forest Biology (CNR-IBAF)

15:40 Discussion

Questions and answers

Discussion with the audience

16:50 Concluding remarks by the host MEP Paul Brannen and organizers