Climate change experts berate UN-REDD

 Executive Director of Environment Right Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Dr Godwin Ojo, made the remarks during a sensitization campaign on REDD, which he described as a total failure and “perverse incentives to rural folks.”He was represented by ERA/FoEN Project Officer Forest & Biodiversity, Rita Uwaka. In his presentation at the conference, he said the […]

 Executive Director of Environment Right Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Dr Godwin Ojo, made the remarks during a sensitization campaign on REDD, which he described as a total failure and “perverse incentives to rural folks.”
He was represented by ERA/FoEN Project Officer Forest & Biodiversity, Rita Uwaka.
 In his presentation at the conference, he said the REDD programme allows developed countries to “buy permits/carbon credit to pollute the environment at the detriment of the local owners of such forests.”
He said that the introduction of REDD programme has heightened land grabs, violations of human rights, militarization, scam and servitude, threats to cultural survivals amongst others.
“It is an anomaly to put a price tag on our forest. They should instead come out with concrete methods and techniques of stopping climate change. Some 1.6 billion people rely on forest, including 60 million people who are entirely dependent on forest for their livelihood, food, medicine and/or building materials.
“People should be encouraged to stop unsustainable logging practices, but should not be stopped from making use of their forest. All the regions of the world where REDD are practiced are groaning in pains with a lot of issues. The people managing the programme would make all kinds of promises but at the end there’ll be nothing to show. African governments which are excited about that programme are making a mistake,” he stated.
Another expert, ERA/FoEN Programme Manager, Barr Mike Karikpo did not express confidence in the carbon market, which governments in the developing nations are depending on for more funds may have collapsed irredeemably.
Karikpo said there was so much carbon credit in the international market that its price has reduced drastically.
He said, “The market has collapsed. The emission trading scheme in Europe collapsed and the prices went from about $20-25 per tonne to $3-5 per tonne. A few months back, the European Union held a meeting to try to see how they can subsidize the carbon market but most countries were sceptical on wasting their monies to keep the scheme alive.
“This happened because many countries subscribed to much emission allowance and that brought in too many carbon credits into the market, and by this the supply was more than the demand, leading to market crash.”