This is an interesting article that hints at the international problems that arise in developing countries when industrialized countries begin to purchase carbon offset credits from forests -an international version of carpetbaggers combined with little regulation and financial management in the developing countries.
Think of what this implies to a U.S. energy bill that allows for international REDD offsets.
An interesting article by Peter Huber of the Manhattan Institute on carbon, the developing world, and land use change.
An interesting perspective recently published in the ecosytemmarketplace.
The Guardian yesterday published an article quoting Jim Hansen, head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, as saying Barack Obama only had four years to act to avoid an ecodisaster….and that cap and trade markets for carbon have failed….quite the statement!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/18/jim-hansen-obama
There have been over three hundred comments published on the article and many of them are ugly. I generally try to avoid over-dramatizing problems….and this article points out what happens when you make stark generalizations.
One of the comments, however, caught my eye:
We have manged to design economic systems that have been an utter failure, why do we not think it in the realms of humans ability to also destroy the environment. If we are willing to invest trillions globally on propping up financial institutions why should not billions be spent on enhancing the air that we breathe.
The global carbon market will remained shielded against the worst effects of the economic slowdown and grow by over 27 per cent this year to $150bn, according to the latest projections from analyst firm New Carbon Finance.
For the entire article:
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2233791/carbon-market-grow-150bn
From an article in the Guardian:
International proposals to protect forests as a way of tackling climate change could displace millions of indigenous people and fail to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, environmentalists warn.
In a report to be published on Thursday, Friends of the Earth International (FOE) will argue that current plans to slow the decline of forests by making rich countries pay for the protection of forests in tropical regions are not fit for purpose, as they are open to abuse by corrupt politicians or illegal logging companies in the parts of the world where the money will end up.
Forests lock up a significant amount of carbon and cutting them down is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, currently accounting for around 20% of the world’s total.
Deforestation also threatens biodiversity and the livelihoods of more than 60 million indigenous people who are entirely dependent upon forests.
Working out a way to protect forests will be one of the key issues for next week’s UN climate change summit in Poznan, Poland, which marks the start of global negotiations to replace the Kyoto protocol after 2012. Government representatives at the meeting will consider adopting the “Redd” mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries, which is based on the idea that richer countries could offset their emissions by paying to maintain forests in tropical regions.
From the Report:
This document provides guidance and additional context for users of the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), the VCS Program Guidelines, and the VCS Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) project tools. At the beginning of each section, relevant content from the respective VCS document (VCS, the VCS Program Guidelines, and the VCS AFOLU project tools) is presented verbatim in a box after which the relevant guidance is provided. In case of any discrepancies between: a.) this guidance document; and b.) the most up-to-date versions of the VCS, the VCS Program Guidelines, or VCS AFOLU project tools documents, information contained in the documents mentioned under b.) is considered binding. This document should be cited as: “Voluntary Carbon Standard – Guidance for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Projects (VCS 2007.1, 2008).” VCS Association. Available at: http://www.v-c-s.org
The rules contained in the VCS 2007.1, VCS Program Guidelines, and the AFOLU project tools have been developed to enable high-quality AFOLU projects from around the world to generate Voluntary Carbon Units (VCUs) that are credible, robust, permanent and fungible. The result of an intensive eighteen-month development process managed by the VCS AFOLU Advisory Group and overseen by the VCS Steering Committee, these guidelines employ innovative and best-practice thinking in order to create standards that are at once rigorous and workable. After considerable public input, working groups composed of leading experts in each of the four AFOLU project categories authored this guidance and the associated AFOLU text found in the VCS, Program Guidelines and Tools. More than twenty independent reviewers, including preeminent risk experts, investors, NGO representatives and project developers supported these efforts and provided detailed feedback during the evolution of these AFOLU rules and guidance.
For the entire Report:
http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/documents/cms_documents/Guidance%20for%20AFOLU%20Projects.pdf
I noticed this company in a press release from Goldman Sachs. They started in 1995 and are positioning to play a major role in domestic carbon credit markets. They also have an interesting values statement…they are driving the vision of their company through Christian religious mores.
Richard Pace 