Rainforest nations join to fight deforestation

By Sebastian Clayton - November 18, 2008

For the first time, key countries from the rainforest nations have formed a united front against deforestation. The countries will lobby the United Nations to establish a single body to fight deforestation.  The group proposes that the body coordinate the use of carbon credit trading to stop deforestation at a conference next month in Poland, an official from the countries said on Tuesday.

“A new body should be built to coordinate initiatives (on cutting emissions from deforestation) that are going around now,” Federica Bietta, Deputy Director of Coalition for Rainforest Nations, said in response to the group’s formation.

The group is called REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) and wants to include deforestation parameters in the next version of the Kyoto Protocol.

The group will propose twenty projects to cut carbon emmissions that derive from deforestation at their meeting in Poland.

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Sebastian Clayton is Tonic News’ International News Correspondent and his weekly column, “From the UK,” appears here every Thursday. Feel free to connect with Sebastian at Sebastian[at]tonic.com.