[Anarchafeminists] The great forest scam

[Susan McCabe]

Dear friends around the UK,





Already stumbling, global climate talks could collapse completely unless the UK government backs strong protections for forests. A national outcry could push the UK to be a climate leader and block accounting tricks for forests. Send our climate minister Chris Huhne a message urging him to lead, and forward it to your friends: 


Next week, a small group of European countries are planning to create a massive loophole that would further undermine the prospects of the upcoming global climate talks. A strong stance from the UK now could halt their plan, but only a national outcry will persuade the government to step up.

Since the Copenhagen summit, global climate negotiations have been on the brink of collapse, and a breakthrough is urgently needed. Now, Sweden, Finland and Austria are leading a push for an accounting trick that would let rich countries cut down as many trees as they wanted -- without having to report the increased climate damage.

The UK is well-placed to rally other European countries and stop this scam. But the new government hasn’t yet made up its mind on the issue. We know they want to be seen as the greenest government ever, and this is their chance to start strongly on the international climate stage. Let’s send a flood of messages to Climate Minister, Chris Huhne, urging him to be bold on climate and make forests count at next week’s meeting. Click below to take action:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/trees_not_tricks_uk/?vl 

The negotiation over the forest loophole comes at a pivotal time. Political momentum on climate change has slowed -- while the climate crisis itself has grown worse. 2010 has been the hottest year ever on record, with a rising tide of climate-related disasters from Pakistan to Russia.

Forests are the lungs of our planet, sustaining people, animals and plants worldwide. They’re also a potential life-saver in the fight against climate change. But they’re threatened: deforestation already contributes to 20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. We can’t let a handful of countries undermine efforts to protect them, exploiting forests to avoid taking on real action to protect our common future.

The UK can stiffen Europe’s collective resolve to tackle this issue, and inject vital new hope into the climate negotiations that will shape the world we all live on. Let’s show Mr. Huhne that people across the UK want our government to lead the way -- sign on and forward this message:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/trees_not_tricks_uk/?vl

In the wake of the recession, the European Union has suffered a crisis of confidence on climate -- and faltered in its leadership. We know that Europe can lead the way on forest protection, because it’s done so before: earlier this year European citizens and leaders agreed to curb the devastating trade in illegal timber. As a major economic and political force in the EU, the UK government has a significant role to fulfill in shaping decisions.

In the sustainable future that we all seek, forests will be accorded the same respect by governments that they have always received from the world’s people. As we build a movement capable of overcoming climate change, let’s use this moment to protect the trees that have protected humankind for millennia.

With hope,

Ben, Iain, Alex, Graziela, Ben M, Mia, David and the rest of the Avaaz team.

Sources:

Cheating Countries Threaten Efforts to Save Forests: http://adoptanegotiator.org/2010/06/05/cheating-countries-threaten-efforts-to-save-forests/

Closing loopholes and bridging gaps: http://blogs.worldwatch.org/revolt/closing-loopholes-and-bridging-gaps-after-bonn

Make Forests Count explain the problems with loopholes: http://makeforestscount.org/problem.php


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