08
Oct 2008 - Barcelona, Spain - The governments
of Paraguay and Indonesia today announced
far-reaching actions to stop forest loss
at a special WWF event held during the IUCN
World Conservation Congress.
Colombia also announced
new measures to reduce Amazon Basin deforestation.
The Paraguayan and Indonesian
announcements follow commitments made at
the Convention on Biological Diversity’s
Conference of Parties in Bonn in May to
achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.
The new measures will
contribute to safeguarding biodiversity
in some of the world’s most biologically
diverse eco-regions, protect local livelihoods
and are significant elements of climate
change action by the three countries. Deforestation,
particularly in the tropics, is the third
largest source of greenhouse gas emissions,
generating between 15-20 per cent of global
carbon emissions.
Paraguay announced it
will implement a policy to achieve and maintain
zero net carbon emissions from land use
changes by 2020. As part of this policy,
it will extend the country’s Forest Conversion
Moratorium, or Zero Deforestation Law, by
another five years when it expires in December.
Enacted in December 2004 and renewed in
2006 for another two years, the law prohibits
the transformation and conversion of forested
areas in Paraguay’s eastern region.
Implementation of the
law has led to massive cuts in deforestation
rates in the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest,
one of the world’s richest forests, from
between 88,000-170,000 hectares annually
before the law came into force, to a current
level of approximately 16,700 hectares annually,
a reduction of more than 85 per cent.
“We will extend the
moratorium on deforestation until each state
has created a land-use plan showing how
they will contribute to achieve zero net
greenhouse gas emissions at a national scale
by 2020,” said Dr José Luis Casaccia,
Paraguay’s Minister of Environment.
Other initiatives announced
by Dr Casaccia include establishing credible
and transparent systems to measure, report
and verify how much carbon is stored under
different land uses, and promoting mechanisms
that complement the country’s Payment for
Environmental Services Law, integrating
them in the national poverty alleviation
strategy.
The Indonesian government
announced it will no longer tolerate conversion
of forests for establishing crop plantations
such as oil palm. The government will also
forge ahead with its forest-carbon initiative,
aimed at conserving biodiversity, reducing
carbon emissions from land-use changes,
restoring ecosystem services and generating
innovative incentives for sustainable development.
“New crop plantations
such as oil palm will have to use idle lands,”
said Mrs. Hermin Roosita, Indonesia’s Deputy
Minister of Environment. “Also, starting
with Sumatra, Indonesia will adopt a sustainable
development model that uses ecosystem-based
spatial planning.”
At the same event, Colombia’s
Director General of National Parks, Mrs.
Julia Miranda Lodoño, also announced
a regional plan to develop a network of
protected areas in the Amazon, which includes
establishment of joint mechanisms for effective
cross-country conservation actions. This
process aims to achieve both representative
protected area networks, and build resilience
to climate change.
“We were very pleased
with the commitments these key countries
made in Bonn for achieving zero net deforestation
by 2020 and we are delighted that they are
following up in Barcelona with ambitious
actions to implement those considerable
commitments,” said Mr. James Leape, Director-General
of WWF International. “It is now vital that
the international community gets behind
these efforts and lends all the support
it can.
“WWF intends to be there
to support Indonesia and Paraguay’s efforts,
to urge other high deforestation nations
to follow suit and to mobilise support from
the rest of the international community.”
+ More
EU’s first enlightened
move on energy efficiency
10 Oct 2008 - Brussels,
Belgium – Today EU Energy Ministers decided
to ban incandescent light bulbs in Europe
as of 2010. The move comes few days before
the lift of anti-dumping duties on energy
saving lamps imported from China, which
takes effect on 18 October. Both decisions
are a positive move towards energy savings
within the EU, says WWF, the global conservation
organisation.
WWF regrets, however,
that the European Union has not committed
yet to a binding target reducing primary
energy consumption by 20% by 2020 to boost
energy conservation in all sectors. Although
it was discussed by the European Council
in 2007, so far this objective is only applied
by European countries on a voluntary basis.
The Council of Ministers
must follow the European Parliament’s Environment
Committee vote and use the opportunity to
make the target a key piece of law, by including
it in the Effort Sharing Directive which
is part of EU climate and energy package.
“Keeping energy efficiency
as an optional tool will not lead us towards
the much needed 30% greenhouse gas emission
reduction by 2020. Energy efficiency should
be the cornerstone of any climate and energy
strategy for the EU, therefore a target
of 20% for primary energy savings must become
mandatory in Europe,” says Mariangiola Fabbri,
Energy Policy Officer at WWF.
Incandescent light bulbs
consume 3 to 5 times more than efficient
lights, such as integrated compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs). The replacement of worst-performing
lamps with today’s best available technology
will contribute to reduce domestic energy
consumption for lighting by 60% in the EU,
equivalent to some 30 million tons CO2 yearly
savings, corresponding to almost half of
2006 GHG emissions of Sweden.
The ban of energy-intensive
lamps will increase demand for more efficient
products such as CFLs and light-emitting
diodes (LEDs). The lift of anti-dumping
duties on CFLs imported from China will
make CFLs cheaper for European consumers.
“These decisions clearly
show that promotion of energy efficiency
brings benefits to the economy, the climate
and consumers”, adds Mariangiola Fabbri.
“The European Union should champion the
phase-out of highly energy consuming products,
facilitate access of energy saving products
to the European market and help consumers
make their choice responsibly, in line with
the 2020 climate change targets.”
Notes to the editors
• Under the Eco-design Directive for Energy-using
Products, European regulatory committees
will define the standards applicable to
domestic lighting from 2010. According to
WWF, as of 2015 all products labelled below
“A” in the European energy labelling system
should also be banned, so that only the
best technologies (already available today)
will be placed on the market. It goes without
saying that energy efficient products, whether
produced in Europe or elsewhere, must comply
with the highest European environmental
standards in terms of design, production,
recycling and waste disposal.
• Lighting is responsible for 19% of global
domestic energy consumption.
• WWF, together with other partners, has
set up a website to help consumers chose
the most efficient appliances available
in Europe: www.topten.info
For further information:
Mariangiola Fabbri, Energy Policy Officer
WWF European Policy Office
