Reacting to the news that the US has become the first country to pledge money to a short term fund to protect tropical rainforests which has been backed by the Prince of Wales, Greenpeace Executive Director John Sauven said:
"We all rely on the world's tropical rainforests for food and rainfall, and to store vast amounts of our carbon emissions each year. Paying a relatively small amount to protect them is an absolute bargain, because without them the very basis for our economy could collapse and the climate would become increasingly hostile.
"The US Government has today promised a substantial amount of money for forest protection, and now there is real pressure on the British government to do the same. The longer we delay the more our international reputation for environmental leadership is put at risk."
At a ceremony at Clarence House in London this morning, US Ambassador Louis Susman read out a letter from chair of the US Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, Senator Patrick Leahy, in which he pledged to contribute $275m to a forest protection fund in 2010.
UK energy and environment secretary Ed Miliband failed to put a figure on any UK government contribution, but hinted that the Government may make an announcement at or around the UN Copenhagen conference in December.
For more information please contact the Greenpeace Press Office on 0207 865 8255
NOTES TO EDITORS
- In April 2009 Prince Charles (as head of the Prince's Rainforest Project) convened a meeting of world leaders at Clarence House who were in London for the G20. This group included David and Ed Miliband, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Ban Ki-Moon, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and President of Indonesia Dr H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
- The purpose of the meeting was to create a working group to look into the potential for the global community to raise immediate, short term funds to address the problem of tropical deforestation. The group was named The Informal Working Group on Interim Finance for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation.
- The IWG-IFR was established to consider how to generate funds before any UN deal on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation of forests (REDD) comes into effect. The period they were looking at covered 2010 to 2015.
- After several rounds of meetings, this group has published a plan to create an Emergency Package to protect the world's rainforests. The report has had the active co-operation of nearly 40 countries, including most of the world's rainforest nations.
- The report estimates that if financing of €15-25 billion were made available between 2010-15, global deforestation rates could be cut by 25%, or 7Gt of carbon dioxide equivalent.
- The IWG IFR report does not contain exact figures for each country's contribution. Dividing the amount depending on per capita emissions among leading economies - a logical methodology - would mean the UK would contribute around €700m over the five year period, if the global community was aiming for a €20bn fund overall.
- €700m over five years represents just €140m per year.
