Governors Sign Historic Deforestation Accord
Global efforts to stop tropical deforestation and fight climate change got a massive boost from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The California Governor hosted other governors from around the United States and the World to help speed up climate change mitigation. The summit included a specific memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tropical deforestation. The MOU calls for significant new efforts to between California, Illinoise and Wisconsin and state/provincial governments in Indonesia and Brazil on addressing tropicl deforestation and climate change. Most important, the agreement is the clearest signal that conserving tropical forests will play a part in California's ambitious global warming cap-and-trade program as well as the
Western Climate Initiative.
Tropical Forest Group hopes to play a role in bringing this important new agreement to life. Among the many areas of collaboration, are rule-making, training, seminars, financing and a host of other measures. Said John-O Niles, TFG's Director, "leadership by Governor Schwarzenegger and his
colleagues from around the world couldn't come at a better time. This agreement sends a strong signal that saving tropical forests is vital in our efforts to fight climate change. By signaling the governors will work on rules to bring REDD type credits into California's cap-and-trade program,
the decision virtually ensures there will be new monies to help developing countries contain their rates of deforestation."
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