Jeff Metcalfe (TFG) Holly Gibbs (Papaua New Guinea) Tracy Johns (Climate Action Network) address
reporters at COP13 about the urgency of saving rainforest to help combat climate change. In the background
are some of the local Balinese dancers commissioned by TFG to dance in support of REDD at the UN negotiations.
December 5 , 2007 The Tropical Forest Group delivered a powerful message today at the
UN climate change talks in Bali that saving tropical forests is critical to controlling climate change. During a break in the talks. Local dancers bedazzled the UN delegates and key UN diplomats spoke about the urgency of these talks for our planet's future.. More
|
December 5 , 2007
“As World Steps Forward to Help Save Tropical Forests, US Retreats” UN diplomats in Bali Indonesia have begun negotiations on a new and more aggressive climate change policy framework. One of the key topics being discussed is how to create incentives for developing countries to conserve their tropical forests. As 20% of global greenhouse gases, tropical deforestation is the second leading cause of climate change behind fossil fuel combustion. Most countries have significantly increased funding to save tropical forests. The World Bank at the request of the G8, is creating a new $350 million vehicle to help developing countries save forest. Australia, which a few days ago ratified the Kyoto Protocol, has committed $200 million Australian in new monies for tropical forests. Meanwhile, the United States is poised to dramatic decrease money for tropical forests.
More… |
To Bali in 21 Sets of Brackets
Deforestation Takes Center Stage in Climate Talks
  If you are looking to get approval for something at the United Nations, brackets are never a good thing.. UN diplomats wrangle over how best to solve international issues, from nuclear proliferation and pandemics to human rights and global warming. And when the UN wrestles, it wrestles with words [and more importantly, brackets]. A treaty doesn’t get far in the United Nations if any country place brackets around some of the treaty’s text. Brackets [at the UN] mean disagreement and inaction.This is the remarkable story of how a universally popular idea (“Who on Earth doesn’t like rainforests?”) picked up steam and worldwide support only to get mired in 21 set of overlapping brackets. Climate change negotiators from around the world will gather in December for two weeks in Bali Indonesia for the 13th round of negotiations on climate change since the Earth Convention in 1992. One of the most Earth-critical decisions these diplomats will make is whether or not to allow rainforest nations and communities access to the growing carbon market. More…
 Trees Make Delegates See REDD
What do Towering Tree Puppets, 25 Balinese Dancers and the UNFCCC have in common?
Ideally, an issue as urgent as tropical deforestation would have no problem getting media attention. Tropical deforestation causes 20% of global warming and is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. In Indonesia, deforestation accounts for 85% of its greenhouse gas emissions. So when UN diplomats meet in December of
this year on the Indonesian island of Bali to confront climate change, tropical deforestation shouldn’t have a problem getting attention. The problem is…diplomats with colorful badges and stacks of papers don’t make very good photo opportunities.
Once again, the Tropical Forest Group (TFG) is making plans to give deforestation a photogenic face world leaders can’t ignore. At COP11, TFG has found that looming tree puppets being chased by chainsaws and protected by colorful local dancers draws reporters and camera crews like a free lunch draws economists. With your help, TFG is going to put tropical forest conservation where it should be – on the front page and leading the evening news, worldwide. More… |
Donate
Victory Lap
In April last year, TFG revealed a disturbing fact: the US government was touting its tropical forest protection programs (see page 118) as an integral part of its overall climate change policy. What wasn’t mentioned at the time was that not a single deal under the largest federal program dedicated for conserving tropical forests had been executed in 18 months. We urged readers of the TFG website to email President Bush himself, and ask him to get busy.
We’ve got some good news to report…since TFG’s investigation, more than $ 26 million has been spent in three countries on forest conservation projects.More...
Sadly, we need your help again, as the Treasurery Department, the agency in charge of the purse strings, says there aren’t enough places to spend money to save forests.More...
A History of Climate Change and Tropical Forest Negotiations
When nations departed Kyoto in 1997 (COP3), they left with dramatically different and unresolved questions about the role of forestry in meeting national targets.
After years of acrimony, there is now growing consensus that tropical forest conservation must be integrated into the climate change framework.
More…
|
