In her presentation, Neth Dano of the Thirld World Network explained that carbon trading has two aspects.
Dano said that under the emissions trading, a government or an international/regional body imposes a cap on overall emissions. To achieve that cap, limits are assigned to each industrial sector and unit covered by the scheme.
Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from those who pollute less.
The transfer of allowances is referred to as trade.
“While the cap is usually set by a political process, individual companies are free to choose how or if they will reduce their emissions,” Dano said.
Dano said the carbon offsetting allows industries, countries or individuals to finance purportedly “carbon-saving” projects elsewhere (usually in developing countries) which are generally cheaper to implement.
Examples of carbon offsetting are tree plantation, ocean-fertilization projects, hydroelectric dams, among others.
Dano said the effectiveness of these mechanisms have been questioned by many experts worldwide. She quoted Elmer Altvater from the Free University of Berlin as saying, “Emissions trading serves the financial industry, not the environment.”
Key issues
Quintos identified the key issues in the next round of COP meeting to be held in Copanhagen.
While people’s organizations have been calling for drastic reductions in GHG emissions, particularly from advanced industrialized countries, Quintos said developed countries want to divert the issue by pushing for the inclusion of large developing countries such as China.
Quintos added that while people’s organizations maintain that rich countries must pay their ecological debt to the poor majority of the world, especially most vulnerable communities, developing countries assert that voluntary contributions according to the aid framework must be adopted. This, he said, would place the donor countries at an advantageous position over the recipients.
He said further that people’s organizations want a shift to low-carbon economies with unhampered technology transfer to developing countries but developing countries opt for private sector investment in “clean technologies” with intellectual property rights protection to ensure profit.
Creating own space
Quintos said critical CSOs deemed that the development paradigm, the profit oriented production and consumption, fails to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
He said these CSOs created their own space. Representatives of grassroots organizations occupied an abandoned building called Rozbrat and held parallel meetings. A wall of the said building carries the message, “Woline Domy La Wolnych Ludzi” which means “Free Space for Free Minds.”
“Kung hindi maaasahan ang official negotiations ng mga gobyerno, (If we cannot count on the official negotiations of governments,) let’s create our own space,” said Quintos.
Ces Quimpo, executive director of the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) lamented that after 14 conferences on climate change, the UN failed to identify effective solutions. She said, “Ang nangyayari ay pagpoprotekta sa tubo ng mga korporasyon. Kinokomplika ng malalaking interes ang mga simleng solusyon.” (What is happening is that they are protecting the profits of corporations. Simple solutions are being made more complicated by big interests.)
Quintos said that grassroots organizations have formed a working group in preparation for big mobilizations for the Copenhagen Conference in December.
Quintos said there is a need to educate the marginalized sectors, especially the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
In a statement, Meggie Nolasco, PCWA spokesperson said, “It is crucial for Filipino communities to know what measures for climate justice are being proposed at the global scale, so that we can propose measures for action at the local, national, and global levels.”
“While the giant players, such as governments, corporations, and international financial institutions convene, the fate of millions of communities lies on the negotiating table. It’s high time to listen to the voices of marginalized sectors and developing countries who stand to lose the most when the impacts of climate change set in,” she added
“[Kailangang] Palakasin ang boses ng mamamayan para mas magiit ang pundamental na alternatibo sa sistemang mapagsamantala, unsustainable na nagdudulot ng ecological collapse,” (We need to strengthen the voice of the people so that we could demand for fundamental alternatives to the oppressive, unsustainable system that is bringing about an ecological collapse.) Quintos said.(Bulatlat.com)
