Embracing forest protection as a climate solution - not just an offset mechanism

Australia embraces forest protection as a simple solution to climate change – but only puts it into action in Indonesia as an offset mechanism.

Groundbreaking new science from researchers at ANU reveals that Australia has some of the most carbon-rich forests in the world – storing more carbon per hectare than tropical forests in Indonesia or Brazil. Click image to enlarge.

Prime Minister Rudd and Climate Minister Penny Wong have recently announced more funds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the degradation of forests and peatlands in the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Unfortunately, they continue to refuse to put the simple climate solution of protecting and restoring forests into action in our own backyard.

The solutions to climate change are pretty simple and they need to be implemented immediately in order to reduce the severity of climate change.  We need to stop releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and we need to find ways to reduce the current amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are causing changes to our global climate.

Every day we release carbon dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels and the logging and clearing of the world’s natural carbon stores – our forests. About 20% of global greenhouse emissions comes from land clearing globally so it is clear the world cannot avoid dangerous climate change unless forests and natural carbon stores are protected.

We need to rapidly stop these carbon emitting activities and invest heavily in a transformation to renewable energy sources and low carbon societies. We know what we need to do to halt climate change – and 2010 is the year to star doing it!

These climate solution measures need to be taken in all continents and across all national boundaries and rich countries need to help poorer countries to do what they can. But rich countries should not restrict their climate mitigation actions to funding offset projects in poorer countries to fulfill their emission reduction commitment. This dangerous precedent has been unfolding over the past 2 years in the form of the Australian- Indonesian forest carbon partnership.

The Federal Labor Government has recognized that it makes sense to protect our trees and forests as a climate solution. However, the bad news is that the Government have not allocating funds to protect forests and other natural carbon stores in Australia and in neighbouring developing countries whilst reducing emissions from fossil fuels and other sectors in Australia. Instead, the Australian Government has established a joint partnership with the Indonesian Government so they can receive unlimited international carbon pollution offsets permits. This means that Australia could achieve their pledged 3.89% greenhouse gas reductions by 2020 solely by purchasing pollution-offset credits from projects in Indonesia through a carbon market. 

So far, $70 million dollars has been allocated by the Australian Government to these programs in Indonesia. Australia has committed to US $120 Million for similar projects under the Copenhagen Accord; the international climate deal that was developed in Copenhagen after the official negotiations had collapsed.

Logging and damage to forests is not just a problem in developing countries it is also a big problem in Australia.  The Australian Government has refused to embrace forest protection as a climate solution measure in our own backyard. The Federal Government, and the Federal Liberal and Labor Governments have not committed to allocating funds for projects to protect and restore Australia’s forests and woodlands.

Australia’s commitment to greenhouse gas reductions can be substantially improved by conserving the huge amounts of carbon stored in natural ecosystems, especially the forests of Eastern Australia. Peer reviewed science has demonstrated that these are amongst the most carbon dense forests in the world .

The Federal Government need to include the protection of Australia’s forests and native bushland as part of a basket of solutions to fixing climate change.  This will provide guaranteed, cost-effective and immediate ways to reduce greenhouse gas pollution in our own backyard.
With your help we can convince the Australia Government to embrace forest protection as a genuine climate solution for Australia and our neighbouring countries– not just as a short-term carbon pollution offset venture.