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Action Alert: Protest Failed World Bank Congo Rainforest Policy and Proposed Ill-Conceived Forest Carbon Payments
Given revelations of misconduct in Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests by the World Bank, their desire to administer global carbon payments for rainforest protection as a means to address climate change is suspect
By
Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet
-
October 15, 2007
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1.) Inform Yourself
NOTE: This is a protest, not a petition, sending emails to many real decision makers on matters vital to the Earth.
Caption:
Congo's and the world's rainforests must remain intact to maintain climate and meet forest dwellers' needs into the future (link)
The World Bank's independent inspection panel has found serious violations of its own rules as foreign companies were encouraged to destructively log the
Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) rainforests, endangering the lives of
thousands of Congolese Pygmies. The Bank has since 2002 sought to "create a favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo by rushing through new forestry laws and dividing the country's massive rainforests into logging zones.
This is the World Bank's most recent failure to promote "sustainable" ancient
rainforest logging, and comes as they position themselves to administer
international carbon market funds meant to protect ancient rainforests for their
climate benefits. The Bank's recently proposed $300 billion Forest Carbon
Partnership Facility (FCPF) will be part of U.N. climate change negotiations in
Bali in December to shape a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
The concept of "avoided deforestation" -- whereby countries are paid to protect
forests -- has the potential to maintain standing rainforests in an intact,
fully functioning condition; while meeting reasonable local development needs.
Deforestation contributes 20 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, more
than all the world's cars. For the first time a grouping of tropical rainforest
rich countries, called the "Forestry Eight" and controlling over 80 percent of
the world's tropical rainforests, agree and are proposing a plan to be paid to
protect their rainforests and thus reduce global warming.
Many crucial details regarding how avoided deforestation payments would work
remain undefined. The concept has been described as both strict preservation
(protection with no logging), and conservation payments for "sustainable forest
management". This is misleading. First time logging of primary rainforests --
selective, certified, ecosystem based or otherwise -- results in an immediate
huge release of carbon and a permanent disruption of future carbon storage.
To be maximally effective, avoided deforestation climate payments should only
support strict preservation of ancient forests; and not their "sustainable"
selective logging, certified or otherwise. Small scale, community based
eco-forestry activities may well be compatible with maintaining carbon storage,
ecosystem processes, and biodiversity patterns; yet any industrial development
activities must be excluded.
Throughout the globe, the World Bank has been laying the policy basis for, and
subsidizing, the industrial destruction of rainforests. To date, the Bank seems
more interested in ensuring Western access to ancient rainforest timbers than
maintaining ancient rainforests in an intact condition. On what basis can it now
claim to be an honest broker to manage carbon finance to maintain standing
rainforests?
A delegation of pygmies is to meet the new head of the World Bank in Washington
this week, and specifics of the proposed carbon/rainforest protection program
are being formulated now. Let the World Bank know that
they must completely rethink their forest policy in the DRC and the world.
Industrial ancient forest logging must be rejected and replaced with an emphasis
upon community development based upon standing, intact rainforests. This
requires abandoning subsidizing of DRC's industrial forestry, fully protecting
Pygmy rights and ensuring carbon payments are made only for strict rainforest
preservation.
Sample Email Sent
World Bank failed forest policy, forest carbon project concerns
Dear World Bank Executive Director,
I am deeply concerned with the World Bank's long history
of failed forest policies that suggests ancient
rainforests (primary and old-growth) are somehow protected
by industrial logging, if it is just regulated and
monitored well enough. Recently the Bank's own independent
inspection panel has shown that efforts to establish
sustainable industrial forest management in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Bank have failed miserably.
Your policies have caused great harm to Pygmy forest
dwellers; and many of the Bank's own rules in regard to
rainforests, habitats and indigenous peoples were broken
in the process.
The World Bank, with UK and other member governments'
support, has long been laying the policy basis for, and
subsidizing, the industrial destruction of rainforests
in the DRC and worldwide. To date, the Bank seems more
interested in ensuring Western access to ancient
rainforest timbers than maintaining ancient rainforests in
an intact condition while meeting local needs. Given
failed efforts to reform ancient forest logging there and
in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and elsewhere; it is suspect
that the Bank now suggests it be trusted with carbon
monies to protect rainforests and the climate.
The World Bank's proposed "Forest Carbon Partnership
Facility" (FCPF) will almost certainly fail as well;
unless you shift the emphasis of your forest policy away
from reforming industrial logging, to supporting community
ecological development based upon standing, non-
industrially managed rainforests. Many crucial details
regarding how FCPF payments for avoided deforestation
payments would work remain undefined. The concept of
carbon payments to avoid deforestation has been described
as both strict preservation (protection with no logging),
and conservation payments for "sustainable forest
management". This is misleading.
First time logging of primary rainforests -- selective,
certified, ecosystem based or otherwise -- results in an
immediate huge release of carbon and a permanent
disruption of future carbon storage. To be maximally
effective, avoided deforestation climate payments should
only support strict preservation of ancient forests, and
not questionable "sustainable" selective logging. Further,
it makes no sense to pay for preservation in one area if
other areas in the nation continue to be industrially
logged. Small scale, community based eco-forestry
activities may well be compatible with maintaining carbon,
ecosystems and biodiversity.
It is essential that the World Bank and member governments
completely rethink their forest protection policy in the
DRC and the world. Industrial ancient forest logging must
be rejected and replaced with an emphasis upon community
development based upon standing, intact rainforests
including carbon payments for avoided deforestation AND
diminishment. Further, it would be appreciated if you did
not resort to blocking our emails to avoid addressing
these issues. An earlier protest email campaign warned you
of DRC issues which were subsequently shown to be true.
Please ensure your subsidizing of ancient rainforest
logging is abandoned in the DRC and elsewhere, that Pygmy
demands are fully met, and that carbon payments are made
only for strict rainforest preservation. Unless you do so,
we will continue to protest your misguided forestry
policies and oppose Bank involvement in carbon forest
protection schemes.
With grave concern,
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