Conference splits over deforestation emission cut

Abubakar Aminu, Yahoo News 24 Aug 08;

Trading carbon emission rights between developed and developing nations caused a split Sunday between delegates at protracted international climate change talks in Ghana.

"The issue of reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries under the carbon market mechanism has been a stormy one among delegates and observers," Nicole Wilke, head of German delegation told AFP on the sidelines of the UN framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Accra.

She said the negotiations had centred on how developing countries were to reduce emissions and how much developed countries should pay for carbon rights from reduced deforestation emission.

Overall discussions among more than 1,600 delegates from 150 nations have not achieved much since the conference opened Thursday, delegates and observers said.

"There is a point where it will be too late, it is better we speed up to make appreciable progress in the negotiations," Wilke said, expressing hope agreements would be reached in Poland in December which aims to seal a deal on carbon reduction.

Environmentalists have criticized developed countries for shirking their commitments to slash carbon emissions, while questioning whether carbon offsetting schemes in developing countries would be effectively implemented.

"The inclusion of forests in carbon markets enables developed countries to avoid real carbon emission reductions at home", said Emily Brickell, climate and forest officer with Friends of the Earth.

According to experts, deforestation, mostly in developing countries, accounts for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, consuming 13 million hectares (32 million acres) of the world's 40 billion hectares of forests annually.

The 1991 Kyoto protocol allows countries whose carbon emissions exceed the UNFCCC ceiling to buy the surplus carbon rights of countries that do not reach their approved limits.

Currently the funds in the carbon markets are about 30 billion dollars, according to the conference.

"The negotiations are focusing excessively on finance and not on the root causes of deforestation, such as consumption of biofuels, meat and timber," Brickell said.

Ishaku Huzi Mshelia, head of the Nigeria-based Clean Energy and Safe Environment Initiative, called the deforestation talks "a ploy by developed countries to shy away from their commitments to reduced carbon emissions," by up to 40 percent by 2020.

Some experts also questioned whether carbon trading schemes would be wisely implemented in developing countries.

Carbon trading might give rise to corruption and embezzlement in poorer countries, Brickell said, while increasing the value of land there to the detriment of local communities.