Responding to the news that the UK government is set to commit £15m to a World Bank scheme which aims to reduce tropical deforestation, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK said:

"It would be unthinkable for the next phase of the Kyoto protocol not to address tropical deforestation, which is one of the biggest drivers of climate change. But world leaders can't use this as an excuse to avoid slashing emissions in their own countries - we urgently need to do both.

"What's more, our government should think twice before pumping more money into the coffers of the World Bank, which has a poor track record when it comes to illegal logging. We need an agreement which benefits indigenous forest communities around the world."

The bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility was unveiled today in Bali. The bank has set a target of $300 million overall for the facility - the UK's capital contribution represents 10 per cent of the overall target.

The World Bank stands accused of failing to tackle uncontrolled industrial logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A Greenpeace report, released earlier this year and entitled "Carving up the Congo" shows how the emphasis placed on logging as a means of developing local economies has undermined the bank's stated position as a protector of tropical forests.

For the full report visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/reports/carving-up-the-congo

For more contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255

ENDS:

NOTES

• Indonesia and Brazil are the third and fourth largest global CO2 emitters because of the clearing of their rainforests for commodities like timber, palm oil and soya. Dealing with deforestation and emissions on this scale requires a well-funded, well-thought out, global approach.
• Since 1997 about 13 million hectares of forest (mostly tropical) have been destroyed per year - an area the size of Greece lost every year.
• Greenpeace has proposed an international mechanism (TDERM), to be overseen by the United Nations; it has the potential to raise funding in the range of several billion US$ per year to finance urgent action to cut emissions from deforestation.
• The proposal would allow industrialised countries like Britain to meet a percentage of their emissions reduction targets through the purchase of "units" from the scheme. Proceeds from the sale of these units would be used to transfer resources between rich countries and poor ones to prevent deforestation.
• Any such scheme has to guarantee the participation of the indigenous people of forest countries, and to make sure that they benefit from any transfer of resources from the North to South.

Greenpeace today launched a landmark proposal for reducing, and ultimately stopping, tropical deforestation.

The initiative was launched at a side event of the Bali Climate Conference, featuring the Governors of Papua and Papua Barat, the provinces with the largest intact tropical forests in Indonesia.

Greenpeace believes that finding solutions to ending deforestation must be a key objective of the conference for the following reasons:

Tropical deforestation accounts for approximately a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than those produced by the world's entire transport sector.

Indonesia and Brazil are the third and fourth largest emitters in the world largely due to deforestation. In order to help prevent dangerous climate change, Greenpeace believes that deforestation should be stopped globally within a decade.

The peat swamp forests of Indonesia alone are responsible for 4 per cent of the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigating these emissions represents one of the quickest and easiest ways of tackling climate change.

Since 1997 about 13 million hectares of forest (mostly tropical) have been destroyed per year - an area the size of Greece lost every year.

"We want the issue of deforestation to be a central part of the negotiations here in Bali. The world has the resources to stop this problem - what's needed now is the political will. Governors from Papua and Brazil's Amazonas State have shown that they have the desire to do this, the world's governments in Bali must now follow. No money, no forests, no future," said Greenpeace Brazil's Amazon campaign coordinator, Paulo Adario.

The Greenpeace proposal has the potential to raise funding in the range of several billion US$ per year to finance urgent action to cut emissions from deforestation. The proposal would allow industrialised countries like Britain to meet a percentage of their emissions reduction targets through the purchase of "units" from the scheme. Proceeds from the sale of these units would be used to transfer resources between rich countries and poor ones to prevent deforestation.

In Bali, earlier this year, the Governors of the Papua provinces recognised the need to reduce deforestation and called for the "support of the international community through carbon financing mechanisms and transfer of technology to protect our forests and provide income to local communities". (1)

Bill Hare, Greenpeace political advisor on climate change and co-author of the initiative, said: "Our proposal could lead to real deforestation reductions without shifting deforestation from one place to another. It will also make sure that local communities can share the benefits."

Tropical Deforestation and the Kyoto Protocol: www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/...

For a copy of the proposal contact Greenpeace UK Press Office +44 (0) 207 865 8255 or view online.

Christoph Thies, Greenpeace International Forest campaigner +62 (0) 8133 7949712

Martin Baker, Greenpeace International Communications +62 (0) 81337949714

Notes:

(1) Declaration of the Governors of Aceh, Papua and Papua Barat on Climate Change, April 2007