| Climate change is one of the biggest threats | | | | the long run as it will ultimately destroy |
| facing mankind since the last ice age. | | | | the credibility of our movement! |
| Naturally, many well meaning NGO's have | | | | |
| grouped together to promote action plans that | | | | Let's take a look at the two offending |
| can help mankind avert this impending | | | | Position Papers. Greenpeace Netherlands in a |
| disaster. One notable grouping is the Climate | | | | paper entitled "The Dutch Economic |
| Action Network (CAN). | | | | Contribution to Worldwide Deforestation and |
| | | | Forest Degradation" puts forth the rather |
| The CAN is a worldwide network of over 365 | | | | convoluted argument that "in the period 1996 |
| Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such | | | | - 2000 Dutch economic activities contributed |
| as Friends of the Earth and others, working | | | | annually to about 14,000 ha of deforestation |
| to promote government and individual action | | | | in Indonesia, compared to an annual |
| to limit human-induced climate change to | | | | contribution of about 12,000 ha in the period |
| ecologically sustainable levels. | | | | 2001 - 2005. The decline took place in spite |
| | | | of increasing palm oil and pulp imports from |
| Your members work to "achieve this goal | | | | Indonesia, but because the increase of palm |
| through the coordination of information | | | | oil and pulp plantations has been less in |
| exchange and NGO strategy on international, | | | | this second period." Jumping through verbal |
| regional and national climate issues." CAN | | | | hoops, the paper then sought to show that in |
| has seven regional offices which co-ordinate | | | | Malaysia "there are indications that |
| these efforts in Africa, Central and Eastern | | | | deforestation has been strongest in the |
| Europe, Europe, Latin America, North America, | | | | period of 1996- 2000 when the initial palm |
| South Asia, and Southeast Asia. | | | | oil boom took place." What the Paper fails to |
| | | | highlight is that deforestation has moderated |
| In your mission statement, you claim that | | | | in Malaysia somewhat in the last five years |
| your members place a high priority on both a | | | | (from 2001-2005) despite the palm oil boom |
| healthy environment and development that | | | | continuing unabated in that country! |
| "meets the needs of the present without | | | | |
| compromising the ability of future | | | | The World Rainforest Movement in a recent |
| generations to meet their own needs" | | | | paper curiously entitled "Oil Palm: From |
| (Brundtland Commission). Climate Action | | | | Cosmetics to Biodiesel - Colonization Lives |
| Network's vision is to "protect the | | | | On" seeks to paint a picture of |
| atmosphere while allowing for sustainable and | | | | indiscriminate clearing of forest land in |
| equitable development worldwide." | | | | Indonesia. Says the paper: "In Indonesia, |
| | | | nearly seven million hectares of forest had |
| You also promote "a parallel three track | | | | been approved for conversion to estate crop |
| approach to mitigating climate change which | | | | plantations by the end of 1997, and this land |
| includes a Kyoto track, a 'Greening' | | | | has almost certainly been cleared. But the |
| (decarbonisation) track, and an Adaptation | | | | area actually converted to oil palm |
| track. The goal of this approach is to | | | | plantations since 1985 is about 2.6 million |
| facilitate action that will prevent harmful | | | | hectares", destined for export to feed the |
| climate change and keep global warming as far | | | | palm oil industries." |
| below 2°C as possible." | | | | |
| | | | What is most disconcerting is the Rainforest |
| All very good and commendable! Yet, how do | | | | Movement's confession of sort: "Indonesia has |
| you reconcile it when some of your members, | | | | 10% of the world's remaining tropical forests |
| such as Friends of the Earth, Wetlands et al, | | | | which are home to over 20,000 plant species - |
| use their resources to attack a carbon | | | | accounting for 10% of the planet's total -, |
| neutral industry such as palm oil cultivation | | | | 12% of the world's mammal species and 17% of |
| in a developing country such as Malaysia. | | | | bird species, many of which are unique. The |
| | | | magnitude of this lush biodiversity can be |
| Let us draw your attention to the activities | | | | pictured by the data that 25 acres of |
| of another responsible environmental action | | | | Borneo's rainforest were found to contain 700 |
| group, the International Carbon Action | | | | tree species, equal to the total number of |
| Partnership. | | | | species for the whole of North America." The |
| | | | confession? Indonesia is still rich in |
| The International Carbon Action Partnership | | | | diversity and it is in the United States |
| was formed by senior officials from the EU, 3 | | | | where bio-diversity is under serious threat! |
| US States, Canada, Norway and New Zealand in | | | | |
| Lisbon to fight climate change by building a | | | | Scraping the bottom of the barrel against |
| global carbon market. | | | | Malaysia, the Paper attempts to paint a |
| | | | picture of indiscriminate clearing of |
| This brave and innovative scheme aims to add | | | | traditional lands thus depriving the local |
| momentum towards low carbon economies by | | | | indigenous tribes of their customary land. |
| grouping countries and regions that cap and | | | | The paper describes a march on the office of |
| trade environmentally damaging CO2 emissions. | | | | the Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah by a |
| The IACP intends to push for a worldwide | | | | coalition of indigenous tribes: |
| marketplace that will allow cross-border | | | | "Representatives of the Murut, the |
| trading in permits that are bought and sold | | | | Kadazandusun, and the Rungus, and some 30 |
| like commodities. | | | | more tribes coming from the remote region of |
| | | | Tongod, traversed in July of this year |
| Under the scheme, local authorities place an | | | | northern Borneo to reach the gleaming office |
| annual ceiling on CO2 emissions and issue | | | | of Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister of Land, |
| "pollution permits" to companies, which can | | | | Datuk Lajim Haji Ukin at the capital city of |
| then buy and sell them. | | | | Kota Kinabalu." Then the giveaway: "With the |
| | | | assistance of community support |
| British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who | | | | organizations, Wilster and others from Tongod |
| signed his country to the IACP said that the | | | | are now trying a new strategy - they've filed |
| NGO is a "significant step forward" for the | | | | a court case against the State and two |
| creation of a global carbon trading system | | | | plantation companies: Hup Seng Consolidated |
| that will be "fundamental in arresting and | | | | Berhad and Asiatic Development Berhad. The |
| reversing climate change." | | | | case is the first deliberate test of Sabah's |
| | | | land tenure laws with regards to indigenous |
| In publishing data on CO2 Emissions per | | | | peoples." In a land where indigenous people |
| capita however, some interesting facts have | | | | can file suit in court surely lays to waste |
| emerged. Asia posted the second lowest | | | | the claims that such tribes are being |
| emissions per capita of only 1.3 just above | | | | deprived of their customary land with |
| Africa (0.9) and below Latin America (2.1). | | | | impunity! |
| Surprisingly, China which has often been | | | | |
| touted as the second worst polluter after the | | | | What these papers tries to conceal (which is |
| USA, posted a low reading of 3.9 vis a vis | | | | obviously un-concealable) is that palm oil is |
| Canada (17.0), Australia (18.4) whilst the | | | | largely grown in Asia, Africa and Latin |
| USA posted a staggering reading of 19.6. | | | | America, all 3 of which are continents with |
| | | | the LOWEST emission data per Capita of any |
| This calls the lie on the many claims made by | | | | place in the world! Deforestation Watch takes |
| such diverse organizations such as Greenpeace | | | | the view that such unwarranted and |
| Netherlands and the World Rainforest Movement | | | | unjustified attacks against a commodity that |
| who've made the rather tenuous claim that | | | | is contributing to uplifting the economic and |
| palm oil is responsible for the destruction | | | | social wellbeing of the peoples in the palm |
| of rainforest which makes it a major | | | | oil belt can hardly be described as |
| contributor to climate change! Deforestation | | | | "colonization". Rather than colonization, the |
| Watch is perturbed by this development as | | | | growing of palm oil actually serves to |
| any wild and unsubstantiated position papers | | | | liberate economically and uplift the peoples |
| such as these can only damage our cause in | | | | of the lands in which palm oil is cultivated! |