"Save the forests" has been a slogan for decades. New policy instruments and a lot of money will finally have to make it happen. But who will pay?
 | RainforestsTapamti National Park in Costa Rica. The tiny, jungle-cloaked Central American nation aims to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero before 2030 relying heavily on its rainforests (Photo: Reuters) |
Fighting climate change means reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but conserving the earth’s capacity to deal with surplus CO2 is equally important – and less expensive. Rainforests, located mostly in developing or emerging countries, are among the most effective carbon “sinks” (which remove carbon from the atmosphere), but ongoing deforestation reduces their power to absorb CO2, while releasing additional greenhouse gases into the air.
Deforestation currently accounts for around 20 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. So far, there are no provisions for saving rainforests in the Kyoto Protocol or other carbon trading schemes. Offering less-developed countries financial incentives for preserving their rainforests could help.
The campaign to add compensation for “avoided deforestation” into a future climate deal will continue this year. At the Bali climate summit in December 2007, the governor of Indonesia’s Papua region offered to preserve a chunk of rainforest the size of Cyprus in return for carbon credits.
 | Picture Gallery (click the image to start)The Earth's biodiversity and its climate are intimately linked. Forests are just one example (Photo: Reuters) |
Similarly, Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo said he would turn over control of his country’s rainforest to a UK-led international body in exchange for financial support. The UK will decide in early 2008 whether to accept the offer.
Such offers from developing nations touch on a crucial question: should industrialized countries, the world’s major polluters, compensate rainforest nations for the environmental services their forests provide? Britain is the first nation to make a decision, but others may soon face that decision, as well.
author: James Tulloch
publishing date: January 10, 2008
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Readers' Comments:
India is taking part in a Big way in Climate control. We are developing greenfield projects and biofuels from non-edible oil sources like Jatropha oil.
S.A.Alagarsamy, India, www.mgrbiodiesel.com
We maintain more than 20% natural cover and more than 64% tree cover in the Island. However, every year 25,000 ha of new land is being cleared by man for other land use activities. Mainly it is happening in the resource base where surplus of water and fertile soil is available. In order to control CO2 concentration due to over use of fossil fuel and burning in the developed world, these natural lands should be protected. This needs external support to implement participatory management programs to control such action and to educate the community to live in harmony with the natural system.
D.P Munaweera
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