International Climate Negotiations Criticized by Indigenous Peoples

Joshua S Hill — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:41:57 +0000

When the Kyoto Protocol was first introduced back in 1997 it was deemed that forests were not carbon sinks. Whether this was an oversight or a severe lack of scientific knowledge I’m unsure. However with negotiations moving on for a successor to the Protocol, forests are back in for consideration as useful carbon sinks.

As such, indigenous groups from the Americas, Africa and Asia are worried that, if industrialized nations are allowed to purchase carbon rights from their forests, they will lose out, seeing ownership change hands without them even being consulted.

This is not an unlikely event, considering the total lack of room there is for indigenous peoples to have their say at these talks. “When you don’t have recognized status, you’re not existent. You’re not at the table,” said Kanyinke Sena, the Indigenous People of Africa Coordinating Committee’s Eastern Africa representative.

10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week

Gavin Hudson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:49:25 +0000

In case you missed them the first time around, here are the top 10 international environmental headlines that made news in the blogosphere for the week of March 31 - April 6.

1. Asia — United Nations Climate Change Talks: “Kyoto II” climate talks open in Bangkok

“The first formal talks in the long process of drawing up a replacement for the Kyoto climate change pact opened in Thailand on Monday with appeals to a common human purpose to defeat global warming.

‘The world is waiting for a solution that is long-term and economically viable,’ U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said in a video address to the 1,000 delegates from 190 nations gathered in Bangkok.

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International Climate Negotiations Criticized by Indigenous Peoples

10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week