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Ending the continued destruction of forests

5 February 2008

Briefing hosted by Commonwealth Foundation aims to raise awareness about critical climate change issues facing the Commonwealth

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith has called for better conservation and management of forests.

At a briefing on ‘Climate Change and the Commonwealth’, Mr Smith argued that “in today’s interconnected world, the loss of trees and biodiversity in any country affects humankind as a whole. As a consequence, we must all act in a spirit of co-operation and collaboration to ensure sustainable management of this precious resource.”

The briefing, held on 30 January 2008 at Marlborough House in London, was hosted by the Commonwealth Foundation in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Economic Affairs Division, the Commonwealth Forestry Association, the Iwokrama International Centre and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Mr Smith said deforestation currently contributes about one-fifth of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions, the principal greenhouse gas that leads to global warming and climate change.

One of the immediate solutions, he explained, is ‘carbon financing’ which is being considered as part of current climate change negotiations. This will enable countries that do not clear their forests to benefit from payments by industrialised countries looking to reduce their own carbon emissions. This issue will be discussed at the next meeting of Commonwealth environment ministers to be held in Monaco later this month on 20 February.

Mr Smith spoke of the Commonwealth’s commitment to tackling climate change, and highlighted the Lake Victoria Climate Change Action Plan endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their biennial summit in November 2007 in Uganda. The Plan mandates member countries to play a role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Heads of Government noted that climate change is a direct threat to the very survival of some Commonwealth countries, particularly small island states as well as low-lying coastal regions. They also observed that climate change can undermine efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and recognised that “the cost of inaction on mitigation and adaptation is far greater than the cost of early action.”

Dr Mark Collins, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, also pointed to the potential danger to social and economic human development, noting that “climate change has become much more than an environmental issue – it is an issue that can jeopardise the future security of the Commonwealth and the well-being of every citizen.”

Other speakers included Jim Ball, the chairman of the Commonwealth Forestry Association, who outlined the state of forests in the Commonwealth, and Professor Robert Watson, who underlined the potential threat of climate change to biodiversity and eco-systems, and the many services that these provide.

A short documentary of the Iwokrama forest was screened during the briefing to demonstrate the practical ways in which forests can be sustainably managed and maintained in partnership with local people and the private sector.

The briefing was the first in a series for governments, policy-makers, opinion formers and others who are in a position to enhance the Commonwealth’s response to climate change and to carry forward the agenda of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Commonwealth People’s Forum.

The briefings, delivered by expert speakers who will focus on critical issues relating to climate change, food security, cities, water, health, gender and migration, aim to raise awareness about critical climate change issues facing the Commonwealth and how they can be effectively addressed. It is anticipated that they will inform, guide and galvanise governments in adopting appropriate policies.

For information on forthcoming briefings on climate change organised by the Commonwealth Foundation please email Omar Mohsin at o.mohsin@commonwealth.int