Clinton Pledges Support to End Deforestation as Brazil Leads the Way in Copenhagen
Canada has emerged as a serious climate criminal in the last two weeks in Copenhagen by weakening its pledged emissions cuts. But Brazil has emerged as potential climate heroes in their determination to both cut emissions, cut deforestation, and use 10 per cent of an oil exploration fund to invest in climate change adaption.
Of course, oil exploration, drilling and burning will continue in Brazil but by supporting sustainable production chains, developing policy to reduce carbon emissions, and further supporting "scientific analysis of impacts and vulnerabilities," hopefully Brazil's Climate Fund will make the precise impact of climate change in Brazil even more clear, and further encourage politicians to act to cut emissions, even more steeply than the 40 per cent below business-as-usual rates by 2020. Norway, for the record, is pledging carbon neutrality by 2030.
No matter what happens in Copenhagen, cutting deforestation is essential: the rainforests are the lungs of the world, and replacing the land with carbon-intensive farming, agriculture, and soy or meat production is even worse. Today in Copenhagen Hilary Clinton proposed an international fund of $100 billion each year for a decade to preserve rainforests and help the world's most vulnerable people cope with the effects of climate change.
Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council explained that "The Secretary has proposed real money to help some of the world's most vulnerable people and protect forests. It has reenergized the talks here." Oxfam were similarly encouraged by funding coming from public rather than private sources, and insisted that it was crucial that this is new money, additional to existing financial commitments — many were rightly worried that any financing offered would be money repackaged from existing aid.
This announcement is good news, but most are skeptical whether talks stand a chance of being re-energized, with even the Danish presidency of the UN Climate Summit suggesting that an agreement is unlikely. We may have to wait until Mexico (COP16) next year before anything is agreed, but there are two full days of negotiations left, and leaders still have the chance to step up and save the world.
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