TAKE ACTION! The World Bank's independent inspection panel has found serious violations of the Bank's own rules as foreign companies were encouraged to destructively log the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) rainforests, endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese Pygmies. Along with the British government, the Bank has since 2002 sought to "create a favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo by rushing through new forestry laws and dividing the country's massive rainforests into logging zones. This is the World Bank's most recent failure to promote "sustainable" ancient rainforest logging, and comes as they position themselves to administer international carbon market funds meant to protect ancient rainforests for their climate benefits...

The concept of "avoided deforestation" -- whereby countries are paid to protect forests -- has the potential to maintain standing rainforests in an intact, fully functioning condition; while meeting reasonable local development needs... Many crucial details regarding how avoided deforestation payments would work remain undefined... To be maximally effective, avoided deforestation climate payments should only support strict preservation of ancient forests; and not their "sustainable" selective logging, certified or otherwise...

Industrial ancient forest logging must be rejected and replaced with an emphasis upon community development based upon standing, intact rainforests. This requires abandoning subsidizing of DRC's industrial forestry, fully protecting Pygmy rights and ensuring carbon payments are made only for strict rainforest preservation.

Yet perhaps no element of biofuel policy is more alarming and unacknowledged than the degree to which biofuel production requires unsustainable use of scarce water resources [ark | search]. The National Research Council reports that the US ethanol rush will result in a drain on drinking water as corn production requires vast quantities of water for irrigation (planned cellulosic ethanol from biomass almost certainly will as well). Large scale, commercial production of biofuels mines water and soil resources, diminishing them -- making biofuels a non-renewable energy source. Biofuels are a deadly distraction from powering down the industrial Earth destroying growth machine.

Congo's rainforests are the second largest in the world, hold some 8% of the Earth's carbon, and possess critical global ecosystems containing rich biodiversity. These forests provide medicines, shelter, timber and food for 40 million people. When the World Bank reentered the Congo in 2002, after years of war, it said industrial forestry could contribute to the country's recovery. It rushed through new forestry laws, divided the country's rainforests into logging zones, and along with the British government aimed to create a favorable climate for industrial logging. These efforts have now been discredited.

Mr. Michael Brune
Executive Director
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
mbrune@ran.org

Re: Open letter of concern regarding RAN's support for ancient forest logging, and notification of impending campaign

Dear Mr. Brune,

I am writing on behalf of Ecological Internet's global ancient forest protection network to express grave concern with Rainforest Action Network's (RAN) continued support for "sustainable" first time logging of ancient forests (defined as primary and old-growth forests). And to inform you that we intend to intensify our "End Ancient Forest Logging" campaign, targeting RAN until your organization disavows industrial first time logging of primary and old-growth forests and joins efforts to end industrial logging of all such remaining ancient forests.

As the largest, most visible rainforest campaigning organization in the United States; we are extremely distressed at your failure to embrace the current groundswell of concern regarding climate change and the major role ancient forest protection, including but not limited to rainforests, has in its mitigation. RAN is actively impeding a broad based, international movement to end ancient forest logging as a keystone response to global warming by clinging to old failed forest conservation initiatives, and continues to issue misleading clichés regarding industrial logging of ancient forests contributing to environmental protection.

Sydney's temperature is predicted to rise by an average 4.3C by 2070, drought months are expected to increase by 20% nationwide, and a nationwide increase of temperature of 1.0C by 2030 is now considered unavoidable. Sadly, the nation is failing miserably to mobilize to reduce energy use and emissions, continues to clearcut its native forests, and refuses to participate in good faith with international cooperation on establishment of mandatory emission cut targets. Australia teeters upon continental scale ecological collapse, yet parties on like there is no tomorrow, ensuring this may indeed be the case

It is also reported that Gunns logging and Tasmanian government have sent a high profile delegation to Canberra for last minute lobbying. Meanwhile Australian and international protest continues to surge against the ill-conceived, fast-tracked doubling of logging in Tasmania's ancient forests for throw away paper products. Ecological Internet's network alone has sent 387,476 protest emails to Australian authorities form 3,545 people in 83 countries. The world's forest and climate protectors need to make a final push on this difficult and detestable matter. TAKE ACTION!

Agrofuels produced by burning food crops have been tauted as a climate change solution with great economic benefits. In fact they have intensified deadly climate change and terrestrial ecosystem decline. Major concerns have emerged regarding food based biofuels and resultant increases in food prices [search], human rights issues [search], and loss of rainforests [search] and other natural habitats. And now we find it was all a lie that these biofuels protect the climate.

This current finding further illustrates the extent to which failure to reduce energy consumption through conservation and efficiency has lead to half-assed measures to try to maintain our wasteful levels of energy consumption that are doing more damage than good. We need real efforts to dramatically reduce the use of energy and resultant GHG emissions now if advanced human and natural systems are to survive.

For the first time a grouping of tropical rainforest rich countries, called the "Forestry Eight" and controlling over 80 percent of the world's tropical rainforests, agree and are proposing a plan to be paid to protect their rainforests and thus reduce global warming... Troublingly, many crucial details regarding how avoided deforestation payments would work remain undefined...

Let the "Forestry Eight" know that in order to ensure carbon payments for rainforest and climate protection are rigorous and maximally effective, they must be made to avoid both rainforest deforestation AND diminishment, which excludes ANY industrial development. Only equitable payments for strict preservation will maximize climate, ecosystem, biodiversity and local benefit. Anything less is greenwashing and will not solve anything. TAKE ACTION:

The crusade to keep ipê out of Ocean City's boardwalk reconstruction is a rejection of Forest Stewardship Council and big greens' efforts to certify and greenwash industrial ancient forest logging as being responsible, while falsely implying sustainability. First time logging of primary rainforests -- selective, certified, ecosystem based or otherwise -- results in an immediate huge release of carbon, permanent reductions in future carbon sink potential, and reductions in species numbers and diversity. One of the gravest obstacles to mitigating climate change, conserving ancient forests and achieving global ecological sustainability is the pernicious myth that selectively logging ancient forests (certified or not) is environmentally beneficial. It is NOT.

Global warming's impact is expected to be like a nuclear war, yet where is the urgent policy response? The world is decades behind the curve in instituting actual actions to reduce emissions, and yet the world's leaders still dither. Global climate leader Germany informs us it will take time to achieve a successor Kyoto deal. Fighting for his political life, Prime Minister Howard of Australia achieves "aspirational goals" rather than binding commitments for emissions reduction [search] during their hosting of this week's APEC meetings. International policy responses to climate change continue to limp forward as global warming tightens its grip upon the Earth, her ecology, and her humanity and species.

Emission reductions must commence with all haste in late 2007 in Bali, Indonesia, if the human family is to have any chance of maintaining the Earth's climatic and biosphere systems.