The failures and crimes of carbon trading
October 16th, 2009
This week both The Washington Post and Greenpeace reported on the failure of the Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This decade old “carbon offset” forest project in Bolivia demonstrates that “carbon trading” and other market mechanisms (CDM, REDD, cap and trade, so forth) will not effectively slow the burning of fossil fuels. These financial instruments are scams, frauds, and human rights violations.
This is not really news. Indigenous people from the forests of the world have been denouncing carbon markets since they were first introduced.* These critiques were brought before national and United Nations policy makers over and over and over, and, were essentially censored. Last month, The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) released a report that details the crimes of REDD and other carbon trading mechanisms. And, frankly, failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the least of the crimes.
Unfortunately, both the current UNFCCC COP15 meetings and the bills (ACESA, Boxer-Kerry) being considered in US congress lean heavily toward carbon trading and other false solutions.
Short-sighted financial tricks will only prolong and impoverish the road to sustainability. The longer the deceits block the way forward; the more strange, unrecognizable, and uncomfortable the inevitably sustainable future.
The Indigenous Environmental Network REDD Report
Washington Post Article
*Collection of historic declarations containing statements against so-called market solutions:
The Albuquerque Declaration November 1, 1998
Mount Tamalpais Declaration, 2000
Bali Principles of Climate Justice 29 August 2002
Delhi Climate Justice Declaration 1 Nov 2002
The Durban Declaration on Carbon Trading , 10 October 2004
Bali Declaration: 10 December 2007
Oilwatch POSITION ON VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKET 2008
Beijing Declaration, 15 October 2008
Via Campesina position on UNFCCC 5 December 2008
People’s Protocol on Climate Change, 15 December 2008
World Social Forum Climate Justice Assembly Declaration 1 February 2009 Belem
The Anchorage Declaration 24 April 2009 – Indigenous People’s Global Summit on Climate Change
Mount Kenya Declaration on the Global Crisis and Africa’s Responsibility 31 May 2009
IV Continental Summit Indigenous peoples Abya Yala:: Mama Quta Titikaka Declaration 31 May 2009
Report of Asia Summit on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples , 5 June 2009
Biochar Declaration 2009 :‘Biochar’, a new big threat to people, land, and ecosystems
SINAR RESMI DECLARATION, 8th August 2009-
Nairobi Declaration, Africa Peoples Movement on Climate Change (A-PMCC) 30 August 2009
Declaration of Women in Asia on Climate Change 29 September 2009
Indigenous Environmental Network Report Calls For The Rejection Of REDD 02 October 2009
Statement from the OWINFS Trade and Climate Change Working Group October 2009
International Court of Earth Justice: The Global Climate Tribunal , Bangkok 7 October 2009
Declaration of La VÃa Campesina International Youth Meeting 09 October 2009
Tags:
I disagree with the Biochar Declaration, I tend to believe the smiles of the subsistence farmers below.
The most significant aspect of small scale bichar is removal of BC aerosols with the low cost ($3) Biomass cook stoves that produce char but no respiratory disease. Replacing “Three Stone ” stoves, the health effect would be equal to ending malaria. http://terrapretapot.org/ and village level systems http://biocharfund.org/ with the Congo Basin Forest
Fund (CBFF). The Biochar Fund recently won $300K for these systems citing these priorities;
(1) Hunger amongst the world’s poorest people, the subsistence farmers of Sub-Saharan Africa,
(2) Deforestation resulting from a reliance on slash-and-burn farming,
(3) Energy poverty and a lack of access to clean, renewable energy, and
(4) Climate change.
The Biochar Fund :
Exceptional results from biochar experiment in Cameroon
http://scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=14&idContribution=3011
http://www.carboncommentary.com/2009/10/01/761/comment-page-1#comment-2558
The broad smiles of 1500 subsistence farmers say it all ( that , and the size of the Biochar corn root balls )
http://biocharfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=75
Mark my words;
Given the potential for Laurens Rademaker’s programs to grow exponentialy, only a short time lies between This man’s nomination for a Noble Prize.
Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.
Cheers,
Erich