APRIL’s contibution to global climate change is significant. The rapid destruction of Sumatra's natural rainforest – much of which lays on carbon-rich peat-lands – to supply APRIL’s pulp mills, releases huge quantities of greenhouse gases. A scientific study released by the University of Helsinki, shows that APRIL’s Acacia plantations on peatland in Sumatra release around 80 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year.

The clearing of dense natural forest and draining of deep peat to produce pulp and establish plantations undermines the Indonesia global commitment to reduce the country’s emissions by up to 41%. These emissions mostly relate to land use change (LULUCF) and peat drainage. By the Indonesian government’s own calculations peat-land is responsible for almost 40 per cent of the country’s total emissions. These emissions from peat draining, driven by companies like APRIL, contribute significantly to the position of Indonesia as the world's third largest global greenhouse gas emitter, behind the USA and China.

In 2009, APRIL, along with its competitor APP, was permitted to clear approximately 5% more of the natural forest remaining in Riau. 14 of 18 licenses that APRIL and APP had applied for and that the Ministry of Forestry had approved are on deep peat of more than three meters depth. About 90% of the licenced natural forest areas stand on peat soil, a lot of them on peat with more than 4 meters depth. These licenses should never have been issued as natural forest on peat deeper than 3 meters is protected by Presidential Decree Number 32/1990, Government Regulation Number 26/2008 and Law Number 26/2007.
Most of the natural forests that the licenses granted in 2010 to allow clearing in are forests with dense canopy. Natural forest to be cleared by APP / Sinar Mas and APRIL-affiliated companies will have an average timber yield of 95 m3/ha and 90 m3/ha, respectively. Even assuming that these low listed yields are correct and not intentional underestimates, they indicate good natural forests with significant CO2 emissions if cleared or great potential to store and sequester CO2 if protected.In late 2010, APRIL and its competitor APP obtained 8 new licenses to drain peat soil and clear natural forest.

In the Kampar Peninsula, APRIL and its competitor APP control up to 800,000 hectares of natural forests in their concessions, mostly on deep peat. If these forests are cleared, and their carbon-rich peat soils drained to develop pulpwood plantations, they could increase Riau’s annual carbon emissions to almost 0.5gigatons/year.