Under the UNFCCC, carbon stocks in forest stands are considered to be emitted to the atmosphere when forest stands are harvested. Since wood products continue to store carbon stocks until they are disposed, some countries argue that carbon stocks in wood products should be included in the national greenhouse gas inventories. Currently, three alternative approaches, including "stock-change approach," "production approach," and "atmospheric-flow approach," are under international discussion. Since each approach treat imported/exported wood products differently, countries with large amount of wood products imports/exports may be substantially affected depending on the approach chosen. For Japan, the stock-change approach would be most advantageous among three approaches because this approach is beneficial for wood products importing countries. However, it would be better for Japan to insist on the production approach, since this approach could maintain fairness for each country, reflecting the level of resource endowment and economic activities in each country.
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