A note from Australia’s minister of the environment to Zerofootprint founder and CEO Ron Dembo.
Dear Ron,
The Australian Government led the world on climate change this week by launching a Global Initiative on Forests and Climate.
This Initiative represents a material advance in the global effort to tackle climate change and protect the world’s forests.
The Australian Government has committed $200 million to kickstart this world-leading Initiative that will significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Almost 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from clearing the world’s forests – second only to emissions from burning fuels to produce electricity, and more than all the world’s emissions from transport.
If the world could halve the rate of global deforestation we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by three billion tonnes a year – more than five times Australia’s total annual emissions and about ten times the emissions reductions that will be achieved during the first committment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Sustainable forest management is not only important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but for fighting poverty; deforestation is all too often both caused by and the cause of poverty, especially in tropical nations. Sustainable forest industries which do not reduce net forest cover constitute a win for the environment and a win for economic development.
Working with both developed and developing countries the Australian Government’s $200 million investment will:
Support new forest planting Limit destruction of the world’s remaining forests Promote sustainable forest management Encourage contributions from other countries.
The Global Initiative on Forests and Climate delivers practical action that will substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. We have already received strong statements of support from other countries including the United States and Indonesia.
Yours sincerely
Malcolm Turnbull Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Federal Member for Wentworth