Canada’s boreal forest is in the news again this week with a study released yesterday by the Pew Environment Group. But while the Pew study argues that the preservation of the forest remains a top global priority, the Canadian timber industry may see a spike in demand for wood from Japan when it begins the [...]

In an earlier post, attention was drawn to the importance of Canada’s Boreal forests to its climate change strategy. As of May 2010, Canada signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, this was a voluntary agreement between companies (21 member FPAC) and Environmental organizations that account for two thirds of Canada’s entire Boreal forest. The agreement [...]

On Thursday, 26 November the presidents of France and Brazil came out with a joint statement that rich(er) countries must immediately boost aid for developing nations in efforts towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. They lauded this as an essential key to obtaining a viable agreement in Copenhagen next month. Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula [...]

Over the past two weeks, delegates from 183 countries convened in Bonn, Germany to create negotiating texts under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for consideration in Copenhagen this December. In focus at Bonn was the enhancement of international climate change cooperation, particularly as it relates to the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol [...]

On March 31 2009 the Energy and Environment Sub-Committee of the US Congress released a draft of the ‘American Clean Energy and Security Act 2009′.  This is an early discussion draft; however, it does include some explicit information on the nature of the expected US domestic carbon market. The major points of interest are: 4.7bn [...]

It rarely receives the same attention as the Amazon rain forest, one is being devastated by illegal logging and development but the other, Canada’s Boreal forests also represents a key battleground against Climate Change. Set in the in the far north, not far below the arctic line, the Boreal forests are a huge band across [...]

  “In bureaucratic system obedience to power and self-goals have pushed self-consciousness and uprightness into darkness.” These words, written by a forest department official in his retirement letter were in response to the mining controversy that has brought the state of Haryana under scrutiny for indiscriminate mining policies. Following a stern report by the Central [...]

On March 5 2009 Climatico released its first assessment report of national climate policy across twelve of the G20 countries. This, the first of four reports leading to COP-15 in December 2009, tracks progress in government climate policy between 1st November 2008 and 20th February 2009.  Through this tracking the report draws conclusions about general trends between [...]

Indonesia has formally applied to the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, a sort-of precursor of the REDD scheme. Launched at the Bali negotiations in December 2007 its objectives are: To build capacity for REDD in developing countries; and To create and test a series of incentive schemes. Although Indonesia did not participate in the [...]

  Last week the Indonesian government announced the creation of new palm oil plantations on peat lands, causing dismay in the environmental sector. As reported in my blog last week, suggested reasons fall into two camps: firstly it gives the palm oil plantation owners something in an election year and secondly the global recession, thereby [...]