Rachel's #918: CARBON TRADING/THE KINGS' NEW CLOTHES!

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At 03:16 PM 8/2/07, you wrote:

>Sinkswatch.org, Oct. 7, 2004

>[Printer-friendly version]

>

>THE DURBAN DECLARATION ON CARBON TRADING

>

>The Durban Declaration on Carbon Trading

>

>As representatives of people's movements and independent

>organisations, we reject the claim that carbon trading will halt the

>climate crisis. This crisis has been caused more than anything else by

>the mining of fossil fuels and the release of their carbon to the

>oceans, air, soil and living things.

>

>This excessive burning of fossil fuels is now jeopardising Earth's

>ability to maintain a liveable climate.

>

>Governments, export credit agencies, corporations and international

>financial institutions continue to support and finance fossil fuel

>exploration, extraction and other activities that worsen global

>warming, such as forest degradation and destruction on a massive

>scale, while dedicating only token sums to renewable energy. It is

>particularly disturbing that the World Bank has recently defied the

>recommendation of its own Extractive Industries Review which calls for

>the phasing out of World Bank financing for coal, oil and gas

>extraction.

>

>We denounce the further delays in ending fossil fuel extraction that

>are being caused by corporate, government and United Nations' attempts

>to construct a " carbon market, " including a market trading in " carbon

>sinks " .

>

>History has seen attempts to commodify land, food, labour, forests,

>water, genes and ideas.

>

>Carbon trading follows in the footsteps of this history and turns the

>earth's carbon-cycling capacity into property to be bought or sold in

>a global market.

>

>Through this process of creating a new commodity -- carbon -- the

>Earth's ability and capacity to support a climate conducive to life

>and human societies is now passing into the same corporate hands that

>are destroying the climate.

>

>People around the world need to be made aware of this commodification

>and privatization and actively intervene to ensure the protection of

>the Earth's climate.

>

>Carbon trading will not contribute to achieving this protection of the

>Earth's climate. It is a false solution which entrenches and magnifies

>social inequalities in many ways:

>

>** The carbon market creates transferable rights to dump carbon in the

>air, oceans, soil and vegetation far in excess of the capacity of

>these systems to hold it.

>

>Billions of dollars worth of these rights are to be awarded free of

>charge to the biggest corporate emitters of greenhouse gases in the

>electric power, iron and steel, cement, pulp and paper, and other

>sectors in industrialised nations who have caused the climate crisis

>and already exploit these systems the most. Costs of future reductions

>in fossil fuel use are likely to fall disproportionately on the public

>sector, communities, indigenous peoples and individual taxpayers.

>

>** The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), as well as

>many private sector trading schemes, encourage industrialised

>countries and their corporations to finance or create cheap carbon

>dumps such as large-scale tree plantations in the South as a lucrative

>alternative to reducing emissions in the North.

>

>Other CDM projects, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC)-reduction

>schemes, focus on end-of pipe technologies and thus do nothing to

>reduce the impact of fossil fuel industries' impacts on local

>communities. In addition, these projects dwarf the tiny volume of

>renewable energy projects which constitute the CDM's sustainable

>development window-dressing.

>

>** Impacts from fossil-fuel industries and other greenhouse-gas

>producing industries such as displacement, pollution, or climate

>change, are already disproportionately felt by small island states,

>coastal peoples, indigenous peoples, local communities, fisherfolk,

>women, youth, poor people, elderly and marginalized communities. CDM

>projects intensify these impacts in several ways. First, they sanction

>continued exploration for, and extraction, refining and burning of

>fossil fuels. Second, by providing finance for private sector projects

>such as industrial tree plantations, they appropriate land, water and

>air already supporting the lives and livelihoods of local communities

>for new carbon dumps for Northern industries.

>

>** The refusal to phase out the use of coal, oil and gas, which is

>further entrenched by carbon trading, is also causing more and more

>military conflicts around the world, magnifying social and

>environmental injustice. This in turn diverts vast resources to

>military budgets which could otherwise be utilized to support

>economies based on renewable energies and energy efficiency.

>

>In addition to these injustices, the internal weaknesses and

>contradictions of carbon trading are in fact likely to make global

>warming worse rather than " mitigate " it.

>

>CDM projects, for instance, cannot be verified to be " neutralizing "

>any given quantity of fossil fuel extraction and burning.

>

>Their claim to be able to do so is increasingly dangerous because it

>creates the illusion that consumption and production patterns,

>particularly in the North, can be maintained without harming the

>climate.

>

>In addition, because of the verification problem, as well as a lack of

>credible regulation, no one in the CDM market is likely to be sure

>what they are buying. Without a viable commodity to trade, the CDM

>market and similar private sector trading schemes are a total waste of

>time when the world has a critical climate crisis to address.

>

>In an absurd contradiction the World Bank facilitates these false,

>market-based approaches to climate change through its Prototype Carbon

>Fund, the BioCarbon Fund and the Community Development Carbon Fund at

>the same time it is promoting, on a far greater scale, the continued

>exploration for, and extraction and burning of fossil fuels -- many of

>which are to ensure increased emissions of the North.

>

>In conclusion, 'giving carbon a price' will not prove to be any more

>effective, democratic, or conducive to human welfare, than giving

>genes, forests, biodiversity or clean rivers a price.

>

>We reaffirm that drastic reductions in emissions from fossil fuel use

>are a pre-requisite if we are to avert the climate crisis. We affirm

>our responsibility to coming generations to seek real solutions that

>are viable and truly sustainable and that do not sacrifice

>marginalized communities.

>

>We therefore commit ourselves to help build a global grassroots

>movement for climate justice, mobilize communities around the world

>and pledge our solidarity with people opposing carbon trading on the

>ground.

>

>Signed October 10, 2004, Glenmore Centre, Durban, South Africa

>

>To sign on to this declaration please send an email to info

>or visit www.sinkswatch.org

>

>DURBAN MEETING SIGNATORIES

>

>Carbon Trade Watch

>

>Indigenous Environmental Network

>

>Climate & Development Initiatives, Uganda

>

>Coecoceiba-Amigos de la Tierra, Costa Rica

>

>CORE Centre for Organisation Research &

>Education, Manipur, India

>

>Delhi Forum, India

>

>Earthlife Africa (ELA) eThekwini Branch, South

>Africa

>

>FERN, EU

>

>FASE-ES/Green Desert Network Brazil 2

>

>Global Justice Ecology Project, USA

>

>groundwork, South Africa

>

>National Forum of Forest People And Forest

>Workers(NFFPFW), India

>

>Patrick Bond, Professor, University of

>KwaZulu Natal School of Development

>Studies, South Africa

>

>O le Siosiomaga Society, Samoa

>

>South Durban Community Alliance (SDCEA),

>South Africa

>

>Sustainable Energy & Economy Network, USA

>

>The Corner House, UK

>

>Timberwatch Coalition, South Africa

>

>World Rainforest Movement, Uruguay

>

>SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONAL SIGNATORIES

>

>50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice, USA

>

>Aficafiles, Canada

>

>Africa Groups of Sweden, Sweden

>

>Alianza Verde, Honduras

>

>Ambiente y Sociedad, Argentina

>

>Angikar Bangladesh Foundation, Bangladesh

>

>Anisa Colombia, Colombia

>

>Asociacion Alternativa Ambiental, Spain

>

>Asociacion Amigos Reserva Yaguaroundi, Argentina

>

>Asociacion de Guardaparques Argentinos, Argentina

>

>Asociacion Ecologista Piuke, Argentina

>

>Asociacion para la Defensa del Medio Ambiente del Noreste

>Santafesino, Argentina

>

>Asociacion San Francisco de Asis, Argentina

>

>Association France Amerique Latine, France

>

>Associacion Lihue San Carlos de Barloche / Rio Negro, Argentina

>

>Association pour un contrat mondial de l'eau, Comite de Seine Saint

>Denis, France

>

>Associa? Caete -- Cultura e Natureza, Brasil

>

>Athlone Park Residents Association, South Africa

>

>Austerville Clinic Committee, South Africa

>

>Australian Greens, Australia

>

>Aukland Rising Tide, New Zealand

>

>BanglaPraxis, Bangladesh

>

>Benjamin E. Mays Center, USA

>

>Bluff Ridge Conservancy (BRC), South Africa

>BOA, Venezuela

>

>Boulder Environmental Activists Resource, Rocky Mountain

>Peace and Justice Center, USA

>

>The Bread of Life Development Foundation, Nigeria

>CENSAT-Friends of the Earth Colombia, Colombia

>

>Center for Economic Justice, USA

>

>Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka

>

>Center for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc./

>

>Friends of the Earth (PNG), Papua New Guinea

>

>Center for Urban Transformation, USA

>

>Centro de Derecho Ambiental y Promocion para el Desarrollo

>(CEDAPRODE), Nicaragua

>

>Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan A.C., Mexico

>

>Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, USA

>

>Christ the King Church Group, South Africa

>

>Clairwood Ratepayers Association (CRA), South Africa

>

>Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers, USA

>

>Colectivo de Proyectos Alternativos de Mexico (COPAL), Mexico

>

>Colectivo MadreSelva, Guatemala

>

>Comite de Analisis " Ana Silvia Olan " de Sonsonate -

>CANASO,El Salvador

>

>Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, USA

>

>Community Health Cell, Bangalore, India

>

>Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Netherlands

>

>C.P.E.M. N?29-Ciencias Ambientales, Argentina

>Del Consejo de Organizaciones de Medicos y Parteras

>Indigenas Tradicionales de Chiapas, Mexico

>Enda America Latina, Colombia

>

>ECOGRAIN, Spain

>

>Ecoisla, Puerto Rica

>

>EarthLink e.V.-The People & Nature Network, Germany

>

>Ecological Society of the Philippines, Philippines

>

>Ecologistas en Accion, Spain

>

>Ecoportal.net, Argentina

>

>ECOTERRA International

>

>El Centro de Ecologia y Excursionismo de la Universidad de

>Carabobo, Venezuela

>

>Els Verds -- Alternativa Verda, Spain

>

>Environment Desk of Images Asia, Thailand

>

>FASE Gurupa, Brasil

>

>Forest Peoples Programme, UK

>

>Foundation for Grassroots Initiatives in Africa, Ghana

>

>Friends of the Earth International

>

>Friends of the Earth Australia, Australia

>

>Friends of the Siberian Forests, Russia

>

>FSC-Brasil, Brasil

>

>Fundacion Argentina de Etoecologia (FAE), Argentina

>

>Fundacion Los de Tilquiza, proyecto AGUAVERDE, Argentina

>

>Groupe d'Etudes et de Recherche sure les Energies

>

>Renouvelables et l'Environnement (GERERE), Morocco

>

>Gruppo di Volontariato Civile (GVC-Italia), oficina de

>Nicaragua, Nicaragua

>

>House of Worship, South Africa

>

>Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network, Peru

>

>InfoNature, Portugal

>

>Infringement Festival, Canada

>

>Iniciativa ArcoIris de Ecologia y Sociedad, Argentina

>

>Iniciativa Radial, Argentina

>

>Institute for Social Ecology Biotechnology Project, USA

>

>Instituto Ecoar para Cidadania, Brasil

>

>Instituto Igare, Brasil

>

>International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Belgium

>

>International Indian Treaty Council

>

>Isipingo Environmental Committee (IEC), South Africa

>

>Isipingo Ratepayers Association, South Africa

>

>Jeunesse Horizon, Camerun

>

>JKPP /Indonesian Community Mapping Network, Indonesia

>

>Joint Action Committee of Isipingo (JACI), South Africa

>KVW Translations, Spain

>

>LOKOJ, Bangladesh

>

>London Rising Tide, UK

>

>Malvarrosamedia, Spain

>

>Mangrove Action Project (MAP), USA

>

>Mano Verde, Colombia

>

>Mercy International Justice Network, Kenya

>

>Merebank Clinic Committee (MCC), South Africa

>

>Movimiento por la Paz y el Ambiente, Argentina

>

>Movimento por los Derechos y la Consulta Ciudadana, Chile

>

>Nicaragua Center for Community Action, USA,

>

>Nicaragua Network (US), USA

>

>Nicaragua-US Friendship Office, USA

>

>NOAH-Friends of the Earth Denmark, Denmark

>

>N? Amigos da Terra, Brasil

>

>Ogoni Rescue Patriotic Fund, Nigeria

>

>Oilwatch International, Ecuador

>

>Oilwatch Africa, Nigeria

>

>Organizacion Fraternal Negra Honduirena, Honduras

>

>Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist, Argentina

>

>Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environment Coalition

>(PIPEC),Aotearoa/New Zealand

>

>Pesticides Action Network Latin America, Uruguay

>

>Piedad Espinoza Tropico Verde, Guatemala

>

>PovoA?, Brasil

>

>Prideaux Consulting, USA

>

>Projeto tudo Sobre Plantas -- Jornal SOS Verde, Brasil

>

>Public Citizen, USA

>

>Rainforest Action Network, USA

>

>Rainy River First Nations, Canada

>

>Reclaim the Commons, USA

>

>Red de Agricultura Organica de Misiones, Argentina

>

>REDES-Amigos de la Tierra, Uruguay

>

>Red Verde, Spain

>

>Rettet den Regenwald, Germany

>

>Rising Tide, UK

>

>Sahabat Alam Malaysia /FOE-Malaysia, Malaysia

>

>San Francisco Bay Area Jubilee Debt Cancellation Coalition,

>USA

>

>Scottish Education and Action for Development, UK

>

>S.G.Fiber, Pakistan

>

>Silverglen Civic Association (SCA), South Africa

>

>Sisters of the Holy Cross -- Congregation Justice Committee, USA

>

>Sobrevivencia, Friends of the Earth Paraguay, Paraguay

>

>Sociedad Civil, Mexico

>

>SOLJUSPAX, Philippines

>

>Tebtebba Foundation, Philippines

>

>The Sawmill River Watershed Alliance, USA

>

>TRAPESE -- Take Radical Action Through Popular Education

>and Sustainable Everything, UK / Spain

>

>Treasure Beach Environmental Forum (TBEF), South Africa

>

>Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development, Uganda

>

>Ujamaa Community Resource Trust (UCRT), Tanzania

>

>UNICA, Nicaragua

>

>Union Chretienne pour l'Education et Developpement des

>Desherites (UCEDD), Burundi

>

>Union Mexicana de Emprendedores Inios, A. C., Mexico

>

>VALL DE CAN MASDEU, Spain

>

>Wentworth Development Forum (WDF), South Africa

>

>Western Nebraska Resources Council, USA

>

>World Bank Boycott/Center for Economic Justice, USA

>worldforests, UK

>

>World Peace Prayer Society, USA

>

>Individual Signatories

>

>Aarran Thomson, USA

>

>?geles Leonardo, Argentina

>

>Arlex Gonzalez Herrera, Colombia

>

>Beth Burrows, USA

>

>Dr. Bob de Laborde, South Africa

>

>Brook Goldzwig, USA

>

>Cesar Antonio Sanchez Asian, Peru

>

>Christopher Keene, UK

>

>Claudia Sofia Pereira Henriques, Portugal

>

>Claudio Capanema, Brasil

>

>Daniel Tietzer, USA

>

>Dany Mahecha Rubio, The Netherlands

>

>Dora Fernandes, Portugal

>

>Dulce Delgado, Portugal

>

>Eduardo Rojas Hidalgo, Ecuador

>

>Edwin S. Wilson, USA

>

> Wttewaal, Canada

>

>Elisa Marques, Portugal

>

>Emmanuel Moutondo, Kenya

>

>Fabry Saavedra, Bolivia

>

>Federico Ivanissevich, Argentina

>

>Florencia T. Cuesta, Argentina

>

>Florian Salazar-Martin, France

>

>Fernando Moran, Spain

>

>Fernando Guzman, Peru

>

>Gar W. Lipow, USA

>

>German A. Parra Bustamente, Colombia

>

>Hannes Buckle, South Africa

>

>Hansel Tietzer, USA

>

>Helena Pinheiro, Brasil

>

>Dr. Hugh Sanborn, USA

>

>Hylton Alcock, South Africa

>

>Hsun-Yi Hsieh, Taiwan

>

>Ines Vaz Rute da Concei?, Portugal

>

>Irina Maya, Portugal

>

>Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez,, USA

>

>James Mabbitt, UK

>

>Jane Hendley, USA

>

>Janet Weyker,USA

>

>Javier Lizarraga, Uruguay

>

>Jeff Purcell, USA

>

>Jelena Ilic, Serbia & Montenegro

>

>Jenny Biem, Canada

>

>Joana Gois, Portugal

>

>Joao Forte, Portugal

>

>John Brabant, USA

>

>Jonathan Derouchie, Canada

>

>Joris Leemans, Belgium

>

>Josep Puig, Spain

>

>Joseph Herman, USA

>

>Judith Amanthis, UK

>

>Judith Velez, Isla Verde, Puerto Rico

>

>Karen Roothaan, USA

>

>Karlee Rockey, USA

>

>Kiki Goldzwig, USA

>

>Laura Carlsen, IRC

>

>Leonardo Ornella, Argentina

>

>Lina H?strom, Sweden

>

>Lorna Salzman, USA

>

>Luis E. Silvestre, Puerto Rico

>

>Luis Edoardo Sonzini Meroi, Nicaragua

>

>Ing. Mabel Vullioud, Argentina

>

>Manuel Pereira, Portugal

>

>Marcelo Bosi de Almeida, Brasil

>

>Maria Benedetti, Cayey, Puerto Rico

>

>Maria de Fatima Marques, Portugal

>

>Maria Fernanda Pereira, Colombia

>

>Maria Jes?nde, Spain

>

>Dra. Maria Luisa Pfeiffer, Argentina

>

>Martha L. Downs, USA

>

>Dr. Martin Mowforth, UK

>

>Mary Galvin, South Africa

>

>Matheus Ferreira Matos Lima, Brasil

>

>Maurice Tsalefac, Professor, Universite de Yaounde, Camerun

>

>Michaeline Falvey, USA

>

>Miguel Parra Olave, Chile

>

>Mike Ballard, Australia

>

>Mike Berry, UK

>

>Nick Gotts, Scotland

>

>Norbert Suchanek, Germany

>

>Nuno Miguel O. P. Matos Sequeira, Portugal

>

>Oya Akin, North Cyprus

>

>Pablo Alarcon-Chaires, Mexico

>

>Patricia Angelo Batista, Portugal

>

>Patricia Raynor, USA

>

>Paulo Cesar Scarim, Brasil

>

>Pedro Ribeiro, Portugal

>

>Peter Rachleff, Professor, Macalester College, USA

>

>Peter Sills, USA

>

>Dr. Philip Gasper, USA

>

>Prakash Deshmukh, India

>

>Priscila Lins P. F. do Amaral, Brasil

>

>Rafael Arturo Acuna Coaquira, Bolivia

>

>Rafael Chumbimune Zanabria, Peru

>

>Rafael Renteria, USA

>

>Raj Patel, South Africa

>

>Ray Hajat, Malawi

>

>Robin Clanahan, South Africa

>

>Roger de Andrade, France

>

>Rogerio M Mauricio, Brasil

>

>Roxana Mastronardi, Argentina

>

>Ruth Zenger, Canada

>

>Rufino Vivar Miranda, Mexico

>

>Sajida Khan, South Africa

>

>Sandra C. Carrillo, USA

>

>Sara Hayes, USA

>

>Saul Landau, USA

>

>Sheila Goldner, USA

>

>Sister Aloysia Zellmann, South Africa

>

>Steve Wheeler, UK

>

>Tobias Schmitt, Germany

>

>Tyrell Haberkorn, USA

>

>Usman Majeed, Canada

>

>Wak Kalola, Canada

>

>Zoraida Crespo Feliciano, Puerto Rico

>

>See www.sinkswatch.org for up-to-date

>list of supporting signatories

>

>To sign on to this declaration please send an email to info

>or visit www.sinkswatch.org

 

******

Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky

http://www.thehavens.com/

thehavens

606-376-3363

 

 

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