Greens attack carbon credit loophole
Copyright © 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
November 9, 2000
Environment groups in Europe claim forestry practices in Tasmania have revealed a loophole in a proposed protocol to reduce global warming.
They say plans to allow countries to offset their industrial pollution with credits for tree-planting have led to companies clear-felling native forests.
Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund say that rather than helping the environment, the proposal under the Kyoto protocol to allow nations to claim credits for tree-planting may actually accelerate the destruction of native forests.
They are citing Tasmanian examples of Japanese power companies sponsoring the destruction of high conservation-value native forests to be replaced by fast-growing plantations.
It is then intended to be claimed as carbon credits under the international treaty that is to be hammered out next week at The Hague.
The United States, Australia and Japan are strongly in favour of the carbon trading system, which will allow countries to increase their atmospheric pollution provided they acquire sufficient credits.