Indonesia moratorium on new forest and peatland concessions
On Wednesday, on the eve of the Oslo Forest and Climate Conference, the Indonesian Government announced that it is placing a two-year moratorium on the granting of new concessions to clear natural forests and peatlands. The moratorium appears to be a key element of the Government's commitment under a $1 billion agreement signed on Wednesday by the Governments of Indonesia and Norway.
"In the second phase of the partnership, Indonesia is prepared to suspend for two years new concessions for the conversion of peat and natural forest lands," said the statement. "Sufficient non-forest lands exist for Indonesia to accommodate the growth of its vitally important plantation industries, a major source of livelihoods in Indonesia." A key aim of the suspension would be to encourage development of new plantations "on degraded lands rather than vulnerable forests and peatlands".
The statement also noted the planned establishment of a new government agency "to create a national system to monitor, report and verify emissions and emissions reductions," as well as the creation of a database of degraded land.
Group members with additional information about the Indonesia-Norway agreement in general, or about the moratorium in particular, are encouraged to comment or add a separate post on this subject. In particular, are these documents available online yet?
What do you notice in the
What do you notice in the kind of environment that we have right now?If you will observe it,we are indeed in catastrophe.There has been bluster and rhetoric for over 30 years about dependence on foreign oil, though there is good reason. A novel idea was brought up, which was to power cars with ethanol instead of gasoline. Over the last few years, ethanol has been gaining prominence. In fact, most gas stations have use mixtures of gas and ethanol, probably the most common being E10, or a mixture of 10 percent ethanol to 90 percent gasoline. Currently, the EPA is thinking about whether to approve use of E15 for late or older models. There is not a great deal of science out on it yet. That is why auto makers are urging the EPA to hold off on deciding.
More information on REDD-Monitor
I've posted more information about this billion dollar forest deal on REDD-Monitor (including a copy of the letter of intent):
Norway-Indonesia forest deal: US$1 billion dollars worth of continued deforestation?
Mixed messages on the Norway-Indonesia billion dollar forest deal