Greenpeace has launched an initiative to protect the world’s tropical forests, which it says will “reduce deforestation, tackle climate change, preserve global biodiversity and protect the livelihoods of millions of forest people”.
The Forests for Climate initiative, launched in Jakarta, Indonesia, is designed as an international mechanism to allow industrialised nations committed to reducing their emissions to provide funding to countries such as Indonesia and others who have committed to protect their forests.
This money would be used for capacity building efforts and to reduce national deforestation emissions.
“Indonesia’s government and society have a responsibility to protect its tropical forests, for the sake of the environment, the country’s development and to prevent the worsening impacts of climate change,” said Rachmat Witoelar, state minister of environment for Indonesia.
“It is time for Indonesia to gain the right to funding from industrialised countries to protect one of the world’s lungs.”
Greenpeace is pushing for the Forests for Climate initiative to be included in post-2012 efforts to reduce emissions and stop climate change.
