WEBINAR: Old-growth 2022 – Facts and Fiction
Join us as we tackle government and industry spin to shed a light on the current state of old-growth forests in B.C.
Join us as we tackle government and industry spin to shed a light on the current state of old-growth forests in B.C.
Sierra Club BC offers the following statement following the B.C. government’s response to SCBC’s legal challenge over its climate plan.
May 4, 2022
The B.C. government has responded to Sierra Club BC’s climate accountability lawsuit we filed with the help of charity law firm Ecojustice. Sadly, instead of accepting responsibility and beginning the urgent work to address the blind spots we have identified, the province is alleging that we are going to court just to get the plans we want. The reality, however, is that several plans for key climate targets laid out in B.C.’s 2019 law simply don’t exist in the province’s 2021 accountability report.
We’re holding them to account in accordance with the letter of the law, as it’s written. There is no doubt from our perspective that B.C.’s climate accountability legislation requires the government to publish plans to make progress towards all of B.C.’s climate targets, but they have failed to produce these plans for 2025, 2040 and 2050. Also non-existent is the crucial plan for the oil and gas industry that shows how B.C. can possibly meet its ambitious 2030 target for this sector, while at the same time continuing to support and subsidize new LNG terminals and more fracking (for more background see our March 31 media release here).
The B.C. government argues that the public cannot hold them accountable in the courts if they fail to meet the requirements of their climate accountability law. But laws written by governments in Canada are routinely subject to public scrutiny in the courts. It’s a cornerstone of our democracy and the rule of law that the public should access the judicial system to demand fairness, transparency, and accountability. Why would B.C.’s climate legislation not be subject to scrutiny by the public through the courts? The disappointing response from the province shows the importance of the courts in ensuring climate accountability.
The latest IPCC reports showed unequivocally that time is running out to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, that further global warming can only be stopped once we have achieved net zero emissions, and pollution must be cut as quickly as possible. We are calling on the B.C. government to come forward with a plan for every target and every sector of the economy, including oil and gas.
We are in a climate emergency and it’s not too late for the B.C. government to deliver on their promise and address the crucial blind spots. Stay tuned as we continue to report updates on the progress of this lawsuit.
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For more information on why Sierra Club BC and Ecojustice are going to court over blind spots in B.C.’s climate plans go to our joint March 2022 media release:
https://sierraclub.bc.ca/environmental-groups-sue-b-c-government-over-missing-in-action-climate-plans/
Read more about the provincial response in this article: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/bcs-climate-laws-should-not-be-overseen-by-courts-claim-court-documents-5322790
IPCC media release: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/
Media contact:
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner/Science Advisor, Sierra Club BC
604-354 5312, jens@sierraclub.bc.ca
April 4, 2022
Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner and Science Advisor Jens Wieting is available to comment on key findings of today’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and why Sierra Club BC and Ecojustice are taking the B.C. government to court over missing action plans for several critical targets required by law in B.C.’s climate accountability report.
The third part of the 6th IPCC assessment report is of particular importance because it offers more detail on what actions all parts of the world, particularly the richest countries and biggest polluters, have to take to address the climate crisis, with a particular focus on reductions needed by 2030.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said about the report “The jury has reached a verdict. And it is damning. This report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a litany of broken climate promises. It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world. We are on a fast track to climate disaster.”
Key findings include that global emissions must peak before 2025 and be reduced by 43 percent by 2030 if we are to have a chance of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees, the threshold considered crucial to maintaining a livable climate.
Canada is among the top ten polluters and like Canada, B.C. has failed to meet emission reduction targets for over a decade. The province’s emissions have increased every year during the last five years data is available for (2015-2019) and have remained higher than 2007 levels, B.C.’s baseline year.
The B.C. government claims to have a “continent leading CleanBC plan” but it continues to support and subsidize the expansion of fracking wells and new LNG terminals. Once built, the full emissions enabled by the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat alone would make it nearly impossible to meet B.C. targets.
Several Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec) and U.S. states (Vermont, New York state, Maryland and Washington) have banned fracking. New research released by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in March showed that rich countries like Canada must end oil and gas production by 2034 to keep the world on track for 1.5°C (the new IPCC report only considered findings available by last October.
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IPCC media release: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/
For more information on why Sierra Club BC and Ecojustice are going to court over blind spots in B.C.’s climate plans last week go to our joint media release: https://sierraclub.bc.ca/environmental-groups-sue-b-c-government-over-missing-in-action-climate-plans/
Media contact:
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner/Science Advisor, Sierra Club BC
604-354 5312, jens@sierraclub.bc.ca
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2021
Environmental organizations issue report card six months after publication of Old-Growth Panel Recommendations.
“VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) — Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee issued a report card today assessing the B.C. government’s progress on protecting old-growth forests. Today marks exactly six months since the provincial government published the report from its independent old-growth panel. Premier John Horgan promised to implement the panel’s recommendations “in their totality” shortly after.
2021_Old-Growth_ReportCard_FinalThe panel called for a paradigm-shift to safeguard the biodiversity of forests in B.C. with a three-year framework, including logging deferrals for all at-risk old-growth forests within the first six months. Half a year later almost all at-risk forests remain open for logging and the B.C. government has not developed a plan with milestone dates and funding.
“Government promised a ‘new direction’ for old-growth forests and then spent six months dragging its heels and refusing to protect the most endangered stands,” said Andrea Inness, campaigner for the Ancient Forest Alliance. “The government published the recommendations six months ago, but it received the report containing them on April 30, 2020 — by any measure they’ve missed this crucial deadline.”
Endangered old-growth stands across the province continue to be targeted by logging companies and the exact forests the panel called for urgent action to protect are being lost. At the same time, the lack of a concrete plan is leaving First Nations and forestry workers with uncertainty about whether conservation, economic diversification and the transition to sustainable second-growth forestry will be adequately funded.
“As long as we continue to rely on a dwindling supply of endangered old-growth forests, B.C.’s forest sector will continue to face uncertainty and instability,” said Cam Shiell, environmental sustainability officer with the Public and Private Workers of Canada, a union that represents thousands of workers in the B.C. forest industry.
“The provincial government can’t delay action any longer, it must take meaningful steps to protect old-growth forests, lead the transition to sustainable, value-added second-growth forestry and create the forest industry of the future.”
The organizations’ report card grades progress on five key areas related to the 14 recommendations: immediate action for at-risk forests (D), three-year work plan with milestone dates (F), charting a new course prioritizing ecosystem integrity and biodiversity (F), funding for implementation, First nations conservation and forestry transition plans (F) and transparency and communication (F).
“Promising a new direction and then avoiding any meaningful action to ensure the most at-risk old-growth forests are protected is not a ‘paradigm shift,’ it’s the same old talk and log,” said Jens Wieting, forest and climate campaigner at Sierra Club BC. “The evidence is clear: Premier Horgan’s government is likely the last one with a chance to save the last old-growth forests as a legacy for future generations.”
In its initial response in September, the province acknowledged status quo management of old-growth forests had “caused a loss of biodiversity,” recognized the “need to do better” and announced nine deferral areas encompassing 353,000 hectares. Horgan and the BC NDP have claimed these deferrals ‘protected old-growth,’ but a closer review revealed most of this area is either already under some form of protection or is second-growth forest and still open to logging.
According to independent experts, as of 2020, only about 415,000 hectares of old-growth forest with big trees remain in B.C., mostly without protection. Only 3,800 hectares or one per cent of the remaining fraction of this kind of forest was included in the government’s deferral areas. Old-growth logging continues at an average rate of hundreds of soccer fields per day, always targeting the biggest accessible trees that remain.
The old-growth panel report found broad agreement for a paradigm-shift to respond to the biodiversity crisis in B.C.’s forests which reflects polling results showing more than 90 per cent support for old-growth protection. The lack of social license or free, prior and informed consent for continued old-growth logging in the province is also highlighted by the ongoing blockades at Fairy Creek on unceded Pacheedaht territory (southern Vancouver Island), which have been in place for seven months.
“Nothing the Horgan government has done so far is preventing the most endangered old-growth forests in the province from being mowed down, and the public knows it,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “The BC government must immediately defer logging in at-risk old-growth and commit substantial funding to support the economic diversification of First Nations and forestry communities to ensure the long-term sustainability of both jobs and the environment.”
Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and the Wilderness Committee will continue to mobilize their tens of thousands of supporters and hold the government accountable for its old-growth promises. The next report card will be issued on Sep. 11, 2021.
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For background and additional information click here.
For more information, please contact:
Torrance Coste, National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
torrance@wildernesscommittee.org
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner/Science Advisor, Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca
Andrea Inness, Campaigner, Ancient Forest Alliance
andrea@ancientforestalliance.org
Environmental groups and First Nations give provincial government poor grades as old-growth logging continues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 20212
VICTORIA (Unceded Lekwungen Territories) — In the 18 months since the B.C. government promised to implement the recommendations of the Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR) panel, only 24 percent of the most at-risk old-growth forests have been deferred from logging.
The findings are part of an assessment by the Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee, who today issued a report card grading the B.C. government’s progress on implementing the recommendations of the OGSR panel. This is the third report card issued since the panel’s recommendations were released on September 11, 2020, and falls at the halfway point of the three-year framework the panel laid out.
The OGSR panel’s recommendations included taking immediate action to protect at-risk old-growth forests and a paradigm shift away from a focus on timber value and towards safeguarding biodiversity and the ecological integrity of all forests in B.C.
See a full version of the report card here: https://sierraclub.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/PDF-2022-March-Full-Report-Card.pdf
“The B.C. government has taken some small, slow actions, but has not delivered the fundamental change it promised in the wake of the old-growth panel’s report and in the last provincial election,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “Premier John Horgan has set some nice intentions for old-growth forests, but done very little to actually limit logging of the most endangered stands – this is more talk-and-log, not the beginning of a paradigm shift.”
Using the limited publicly available data around confirmed old-growth deferrals and logging, the three organizations have calculated that in the 18 months since the Horgan government committed to these recommendations, approximately 624,000 hectares or 24 percent of the 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth has been confirmed for deferral or a pause on logging.
The past year has seen the establishment of a Technical Advisory Panel to provide expert guidance around old-growth deferrals and the announcement of the government’s intention to defer logging in 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth in November 2021. For the first time, the government has adopted a scientific assessment of the state of old-growth forests in B.C., with a priority on protecting the biggest and oldest trees. But the various announcements and new processes haven’t resulted in substantial on-the-ground protection for threatened forests.
The government’s approach has been criticized by environmentalists and Indigenous leaders as putting unfair pressure on First Nations without providing adequate resources and support.
“The BC NDP government has neglected its responsibility to take swift action and despite all the words and promises, chainsaws continue to roar and threatened old-growth forests across B.C. remain without protection,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. “Premier John Horgan promised permanent protection of old-growth forests, but without providing a clear plan and adequate resources his government has put First Nations in an impossible position – moving slowly is no longer an option if we’re serious about leaving old-growth for our children and grandchildren.”
Last year, the province made some funding commitments to help First Nations review deferral options and support forestry workers impacted by deferrals. Budget 2022 included $185 million to help workers and communities and enable deferrals. This funding commitment is a significant step but not enough to enable both short-term deferrals and lasting Indigenous-led conservation solutions. The federal government has pledged $2.3 billion to achieve the protection of 30 percent of Canada’s landmass by 2030 but the B.C. government has yet to embrace this target and use this opportunity to secure a significant portion of these federal funds to support old-growth protection.
“The B.C. government has taken a step in the right direction in funding for old-growth,” stated Ancient Forest Alliance campaigner and photographer TJ Watt. “However, they’ve fallen short on the amount needed to relieve the economic pressure faced by First Nations so that logging deferrals can become an economically viable option. This funding shortfall makes enacting the full suite of old-growth logging deferrals virtually impossible to achieve. B.C. also has a golden opportunity to obtain hundreds of millions in federal funding to support the creation of new Indigenous Protected Areas. It’s high time they embraced this.”
Of the 2.6 million hectares recommended for deferral in November 2021, the province hasn’t provided consistent updates on how much has been deferred to date.
“We are halfway through the timeline laid out in the old-growth recommendations Premier John Horgan promised to implement, but only a small amount of the most at-risk forest in B.C. is temporarily off the chopping block and there is still no path to permanent protection,” said Jens Wieting, senior forest and climate campaigner with Sierra Club BC. “With every day of delay, irreplaceable ancient forests, the web of life that depends on them and our last defense against the climate crisis are clearcut. We must stop the bleeding now.“
Ancient Forest Alliance, Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee are calling on the B.C. government to: immediately defer logging in all at-risk old-growth forests while compensating for any lost revenue for First Nations, increase funding to support deferrals, economic transition and permanent protection to at least $300 million, implement legislation to protect biodiversity across B.C., establish a plan with milestones consistent with the OGSR framework and regularly publish accurate and detailed progress updates on the deferral process.
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Download a PDF of the full report card here.
Download a JPEG version of the full report card here.
For more information, please contact:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
250-490-5314
Torrance Coste, National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
250-516-9900, torrance@wildernesscommittee.org
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner/Science Advisor, Sierra Club BC
604-354 5312, jens@sierraclub.bc.ca
TJ Watt, Campaigner and Photographer, Ancient Forest Alliance
tj@ancientforestalliance.org
They are joined by 39 NGOs from Asia, Africa, South and North America, Europe and Australia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 13, 2021
Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ territories (VANCOUVER, BC) — More than 260,000 people from nearly every country in the world have signed a petition calling on the B.C. government to “stop the felling of ancient giants and protect British Columbia’s temperate old-growth forests.”
The petition was started by the Germany-based environmental organization Rainforest Rescue with support from Sierra Club BC, and was signed by residents of Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and almost all other countries in the world.
In addition to the petition, the B.C. government received an open letter today that is co-signed by Sierra Club BC, Rainforest Rescue and 37 NGOs from Asia, Africa, South and North America, Europe and Australia, just weeks ahead of COP26, the crucial UN climate conference kicking off in Glasgow on October 31, 2021.
The letter (which can be found here or at the bottom of this page) calls on the provincial government to keep its promise and safeguard the last remaining old-growth forests in B.C., “which are among the most endangered on the planet.”
“Deforestation and environmental destruction are a global catastrophe that fuels the climate crisis and accelerates the sixth mass extinction of species. Unfortunately, the B.C. government ignores its global responsibility to protect some of the last old-growth forests in the Western hemisphere,” said Mathias Rittgerott, a spokesperson with Rainforest Rescue.
“In many parts of the world, particularly in the global south, Indigenous Peoples are working tirelessly to protect the world’s forests. Many forest defenders risk their life, and some even lose their life, for this greater good. Meanwhile, the B.C. government bows to the short-term economic interests of a few companies. We can’t fight the climate crisis and mass extinction without protecting the world’s forests. B.C. must do its share—or we will all fail,” added Rittgerott.
“The ravaging of the world’s remaining forest ecosystems irrespective of their location is a global pandemic that calls for localized global action across nations,” said Dr. Martins Egot, Executive Director of Development Concern in Nigeria.
Mapping and analysis by independent B.C. scientists shows that after decades of industrial clearcutting only a small fraction of old-growth forests with big trees and irrecoverable ecological, cultural and carbon values remains standing in B.C. and even less is protected from logging.
The B.C. government shared its Old-Growth Panel report and Premier John Horgan committed to implementing all of the panel’s recommendations in the fall of 2020. The panel called on the province to work with Indigenous governments to transform forest management within three years, including immediate action to protect at-risk old-growth forests and a paradigm shift away from a focus on timber value towards safeguarding biodiversity of all forests in B.C.
One year later, most at-risk forests in B.C. remain open to logging and despite repeated remarks from the provincial government about an end-of-summer announcement, concerned communities are still waiting for interim protection for all endangered old-growth. In the meantime, police violence and arrests continued on Southern Vancouver Island where arrests of forest defenders surpassed 1,100, making it Canada’s biggest-ever act of civil disobedience.
“There are few places in the world that could do so much to save old-growth forests, uphold the rights of Indigenous People, save biodiversity and slow down the climate crisis all at the same time. International petitions and letters are a powerful reminder that the world is watching the old-growth emergency in British Columbia, said Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner at Sierra Club BC. “The final weeks before the UN climate conference in Glasgow are a crucial time for the B.C. government to change course, show leadership and inspire other parts of the world to do the same.”
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner, Sierra Club BC
604-354 5312, jens@sierraclub.bc.ca
Mathias Rittgerott, Rainforest Rescue (based in Montreal, QC)
514-803-9070, mathias.rittgerott@regenwald.org
Dr. Martins Egot, Executive Director, Development Concern (based in Nigeria)
Can be contacted via Rainforest Rescue
***
Open Letter to the BC Government:
October 13, 2021
Dear Premier Horgan,
We the undersigned—39 non-government organizations from Asia, Africa, South- and North
America, Europe and Australia—are writing you together with more than a quarter million
people from around the world to appeal to the government of British Columbia to keep your
promise and safeguard the threatened old-growth forests of this province, which are among
the most endangered of the planet.
The globally rare old-growth forests in B.C., as well as the biodiversity and Indigenous
knowledge and cultures linked to them, do not exist anywhere else and are irreplaceable. When
these forests are cut, they will not grow back to the same grandeur and diversity in our
lifetimes.
Shockingly, after decades of industrial clearcutting, old-growth forests with big trees have been
reduced to a small fraction of their original extent in this province, and the majority of what
remains standing is still without protection. Your government continues to allow some of the
tallest trees in the world to be cut down for short-term profit.
We are appalled by the images of police violence against Indigenous youth and other peaceful
land defenders and the reports about hundreds of people being arrested to enable clearcutting
of ancient forests for short-term profit in B.C.
In many countries, especially in the global south, Indigenous Peoples, civil society and
governments are working tirelessly to protect the world’s forests which are home to millions of
people, indispensable allies in the fight against the climate crisis, and the source of enormous
biodiversity. Many forest defenders risk their life for this greater good, and some even lose
their life.
Canada, as a country with one of the largest forest areas on Earth, has a responsibility to lead
the fight to save forests. This is especially true since Canada’s population has contributed more
to the climate crisis than many other countries. Within Canada, no other province other than
B.C. could do more to protect rare, carbon-rich old-growth forests. To date, Canada and B.C. are
failing to live up to their responsibilities, because of companies based in your country and
province are involved in reckless resource extraction and environmental destruction—at home
and around the globe.
Protecting the remaining ancient forests in B.C. matters to people around the world and for the
future of all life on Earth. We cannot address the interlinked climate, biodiversity and social
justice crises without protecting and restoring them.
Despite your promise to take short-term action for endangered old-growth forests, clearcutting
of some of the tallest trees in the world continues unabated. It is time for your government to
lead on old-growth protection and to inspire other countries to do the same.
In light of the escalating climate and biodiversity emergencies around the world, including in
your province, we are calling on you to immediately defer logging of all at-risk old-growth
forests and implement long-term conservation solutions that respect the rights of Indigenous
Peoples, as promised by your government.
Sincerely,
Ancient Forest Alliance, Canada, Ian Illuminato, Forest Campaigner
ARA / denkhausbremen, Germany, Wolfgang Kuhlmann, Director
Borneo Orangutan Survival – BOS Deutschland, Germany, Daniel Merdes, CEO
Both Ends, Netherlands, Paul Wolvekamp, Senior policy advisor
CALG – Coalition against land grabbing, Philippines, Sisang Dela Cruz, Assistant to the Executive
Director
Congo Basin Conservation Society (CBCS), DRC, Josue Aruna, Executive Director
Devcon – Development Concern, Nigeria, Martins Egot, Executive Director
Earth Island Institute, Canada, Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist
Ecodevelop, Germany, Hans Christian Offer, Forest ecologist
Fern, EU / Belgium, Julia Christian, Campaigner
FLIGHT – Protecting Indonesia’s Birds, Indonesia, Marison Guciano, Executive Director
Friends of the Earth United States, USA, Jeff Conant, S. International Forest Program Manager
Global Justice Ecology Project, USA, Anne Petermann, Executive Director
Jatam – Mining Advocacy Network, Indonesia, Moh. Taufik, Bachelor of Law
Kené Instituto de Estudios Forestales y Ambientales, Peru, Lucila Pautrat Oyarzún, President
National Assoc. of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), Uganda, Frank Muramuzi, Executive
Director
NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark, Denmark, Mads Kjærgaard Lange, secretary
Northern Confluence Initiative, Canada, Nikki Skuce, Director
Oakland Institute, USA, Frederic Mousseau, Policy Director
Partnership for Policy Integrity, USA, Mary S. Booth, Director
Perkumpulan Hijau, Indonesia, Feri Irawan, Direktor
Quercus – ANCN, Portugal, Alexandra Azevedo, President
Rainforest Rescue, Australia, Branden Barber, CEO
Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC), Nigeria, Odey Oyama, Executive Director
Réseau CREF, DRC, François Biloko, Secrétaire Général
Rettet den Regenwald, Germany, Marianne Klute, Chairwoman
Robin Wood, Germany, Jana Ballenthien, Forest Campainer
SADIA, Malaysia, Matek Geramn, Indigenous rights defender
Save Estonia’s Forests, Estonia, Liina Steinberg, Member of board
Save Virunga, Netherlands/DRC, Tina Lain, Co-founder
Sierra Club British Columbia, Canada, Jens Wieting, Senior Forest Campaigner
The Gaia Foundation, UK, Carlotta Byrne, Earth Jurisprudence Program Coordinator
WALHI NTT – Eastern Sunda Islands, Indonesia, Umbu Wulang, Direktor
WALHI Papua, Indonesia, Aiesh Rumbekwan, Director
WATER – Wise Administration of Terrestrial Environment and Resources, Nigeria, Chief Edwin
Ogar, Program coordinator
West Kootenay EcoSociety, Canada, Kendra Norwood, Conservation Director
Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF), Germany/Liberia, Prof. Christophe Boesch, Founder and
President
Wilderness Committee, Canada, Torrance Coste, National Campaign Director
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y), Canada/USA, Candace Batycki, Program Director, BC and Yukon
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