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Forest Protection and Environmental Education, a side event of the Asia Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) at the Climate Conference in Copenhagen and its follow-up event in Brussels
The Asia Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) conducted a side-event of Copenhagen Climate Conference on the reduction of green house gases and effective forest protection in cooperation with the Slovenian Government on 15 December 2009. The forum is a collaboration of the Asia-Europe Foundation - Hanns Seidel Foundation Indonesia, IGES, SIDA and UNEP.
More than 100 participants discussed about the: ”Institutional setup of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) and the involvement of the private sector”. A special focus lied upon the question, which financing mechanism would suit best to ensure the protection of tropical forests as carbon emission storage. For the future, industrial countries shall provide financial support to developing countries, so called “carbon credits”, to use for forest protection. Contact persons for this international financial equalization are governments on the donor and recipient side, but also private companies, which can provide a local contribution to forest protection.
This idea was pointed out by the moderator of the event, Dr. Axel Michaelowa (Climate Policy Consultancy), in his welcome remarks: “REDD is one of the view lights in Copenhagen among a sea of darkness.” Because of these arguments the presenters claimed a general involvement of REDD in future, world-wide government-level negotiations. REDD is not only a contribution to climate protection, but also to the preservation of biodiversity and sustainable rural development. According to the presenters Charlotte Streck, former employee of World Bank and Dr. David Mc Cauley, Asian Developing Bank, the involvement of the private sector in the REDD financing mechanism is of great importance, because sustainable development can be only ensured through these measures. Masanori Kobayashi, Institute for Global Environmental Strategy (IGES) and Fitrian Ardiansyah, WWF-Indonesia presented two good-practice examples for successfully implemented REDD measures.
Director of HSF Indonesia, Dr. Klingshirn, summarized the discussion outcomes in his closing remarks and accentuated the need for bigger concessions of industrial and developing countries to achieve more efficient forest protection. Moreover, this was a major topic during an informal dinner with leading representatives of the climate protection sector from Europe and Asia. It emerged, that not only different positions of the negotiation partners can put a successful negotiation outcome at risk, but also cultural differences.
Following an official side-event of COP-15 negotiations, strategic partners of Hanns-Seidel Foundation in the environmental sector gathered in Brussels on 17 November. In the context of a policy dialogue, this meeting informed about the current state of negotiations in Copenhagen and discussed future strategies between Asia and Europe regarding climate change. Hanns-Seidel Foundation Brussels and Asia-Europe Foundation jointly host this policy dialogue.
However the results of the climate negotiations are interpreted after Copenhagen, climate change will continue to keep the international community busy. Dr. David Stanners, European Environmental Agency, was confident, that the European Union likely stick to their minimal goal of cutting carbon emissions by 20 percent compared to 1990. Stanner pointed out that it is a confession of failure for the international community providing billions of dollars for the bailout of the financial sector, whereas they were still bargaining in Copenhagen for long-term financial responsibilities of climate change.
Masanori Kobayashi, IGES, explained the concept of REDD. He stressed the great potential of REDD in the financing of spatial planning and forest protection. Especially the Asia-Pacific region can benefit from a working REDD mechanism. Mahesh Pradhan, Director of UNEP Bangkok, revealed that an agreement on a global warming of maximal two degrees in Copenhagen would still lead to noticeable impacts on the climate change and geo system. The fight against climate change has more than a technical component for Pradhan. A radical change of thinking patterns of people all over the world is necessary to ensure a sustainable future. The enhancement of public awareness for environment and climate questions is needed among the young Asian generation. “If we don’t get it right this time, we are finished”, according to Pradhan. Pradhan presented good-practice examples to EU representatives from the field of environmental education and sustainable development, which should be increasingly supported in the future,.
The environmental program of United Nations, UNEP, Asia-Europe Foundation and the Institute of Environment for Sustainable Devleopment (IGES) have been strategic and powerful partners of Hanns-Seidel Foundation in South-East Asia for many years. Christian Hegemer, former Director of Hanns-Seidel Foundation Indonesia, started these co operations, which led to a MoU between HSF and UNEP in the sector of environmental protection and environmental education in March 2009. Therefore, HSF in Jakarta elaborates and conducts projects, like supporting the establishment and implementation of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan for Sustainable Development (AEEAP) or the international Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Program on Environment for Sustainable Development at Tongji University in China.
Furthermore, future co operations in East Timor were discussed between UNEP and HSF in informal talks at the policy dialogue in Brussels.
