Forwarded by Jane Clark at [log in to unmask]

LIVE FROM THE HAGUE: All Eyes on the U.S.

The U.S. disappointed environmental advocates today in the opening
session of the "ministerial" portion of the Global Climate Conference in
the Netherlands by continuing to embrace "business as usual" forestry to
allow industrialized nations to avoid emission reductions.

From our perspective at The Hague, it is clear that the U.S. must move
away from "business as usual" and take a strong forest protection
position if the "Conference of the Parties 6" meeting is to end this
week with an environmentally positive agreement.

At a briefing of U.S. activists late this afternoon the Administration's
delegation at The Hague explained a proposal that they announced just a
few hours earlier to limit "business as usual" credits to 1/3 of what
they earlier wanted. However, all the environmental groups present said
that they see the new proposal as a continued effort by the U.S. to
undercut their obligation under the Kyoto Protocol by allowing the U.S.
to emit more CO2 in 2010 than it did in 1990. This would seriously
undermine the premise of the Kyoto Protocol: that developed nations
(especially the U.S., source of 25% of greenhouse gases globally) reduce
their emissions.

Asked about the threat of the new rules to promote conversion of native
forests to plantations, the U.S. negotiators ducked and once again
refused to endorse environmental standards. Without environmental
safeguards in the Kyoto rules to prevent destructive forestry activities
from receiving "emission reduction units," carbon sequestration policies
would encourage industrial forestry practices including clearcut
logging, monoculture tree plantations, heavy chemical use, and even
genetically modified trees whenever these technologies would result in
faster biomass increases than naturally growing forests.

Meeting with environmental activists from all over the world, including
young Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth activists who built a real
sandbag dike in front of the entrance to the COP 6 building to dramatize
the urgent need for action, it is clear that U.S. citizens have a major
obligation to move our government - this week -- to a more responsible
position.

Please call the White House comment line at 202/456-1414 and make the
point that the U.S. must advocate real emissions reductions and real
forest protection at The Hague this week. The U.S. must reject
business-as-usual forestry and support environmental rules to prevent
more plantations.

Time is of the essence; please call today!
Steve Holmer
Campaign Coordinator
American Lands
726 7th Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

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