U.S. hijacks climate talks, attempts to block rainforest conservation plan

mongabay.com
December 11, 2007

The United States again wrought havoc at UN Climate Change talks. In the early morning hours of talks, as diplomats faced exhaustion, the United States pulled the equivalent of a diplomatic nuclear option, scuttling frantic global efforts to save tropical forests.

As the two weeks of talks draw to a dramatic close, the US stood alone and forced the rainforest resolution into a frenzy. India relinquished its demand to seek credits for already having had reversed rates of deforestation. Papua New Guinea was able to insert language that could allow billions of dollars to begin flowing to developing countries that move early to stop deforestation.

At the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) the US introduced new text to water down the negotiations. All other countries objected to the last minute change, forcing the subject to the higher level negotiations of the Conference of the Parties (COP). Said Jeff Metcalfe, Director of the Tropical Forest Group, "We've seen this many times before. The US waits for other countries to grow weary and brings in some new confusing tactic at this last hour. Only this time they've gone too far - with UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon and other Heads of State scheduled to speak, the US will have no choice but to back down".

Elsewhere in the Bali talks, most other developed nations came forward with new monies to save rainforest. Norway announced more than $3 billions of dollars to help stop deforestation. Jeff Jackson, a volunteer with Tropical Forest Group who spent the two weeks erecting large inflatable trees, "Norway will go down in history as a great country by this simple act. The people of Norway want a future world with rainforests and they decided to act".

A few hotels away from the main negotiations, the World Bank announced a $350 partnership to funnel money to rainforests. Governments including Germany ($57 million), the United Kingdom ($30 million), Finland ($5 million) and Japan ($10 million) announced new monies to support the World Bank fund to control deforestation. The US was notably absent from the stage as World Bank president Robert Zoellick chaired the exciting new plans to save rainforest.

Meanwhile in Washington — in what looks like another deliberate slap-in-the-face — a US Treasury Bill would slash US funding for tropical forests.

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