Climate Talks end amidst fears over carbon colonialism
ACCRA (GHANA), 27 August 2008 – The United Nations climate talks ending today and focused on ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries’ risk moving towards ‘carbon colonialism’, Friends of the Earth International campaigners warned.
The inclusion of forests in carbon markets would allow rich countries to buy their way out of greenhouse gas emission reductions and threaten local communities who could be expelled from their forests.
Friends of the Earth US International Climate Campaigner Kate Horner said:
“It has been very worrying to see these negotiations speed along in a dangerous direction without any genuine participation from those communities who will be most directly affected if their forests are put into carbon markets. Local communities want their land rights to be respected, and not to have their forests sold to allow rich countries to continue polluting as usual. Reading between the lines, there is a major push toward financing plantations which would be disastrous for the world’s last remaining forests.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT IN ACCRA:
Kate Horner, Friends of the Earth US: Tel: +1 360 319 9444 (US mobile)
George Awudi, Friends of the Earth Ghana: Tel: +233 27 7432 014
(Ghanaian mobile)
