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Indonesia's peatlands may offer U.S. firms global warming offsets How to Convince a Company to Protect Peatlands and Climate Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com August 29, 2007 The following is modified version of a letter I've used to pitch U.S. companies on the concept of carbon finance in Indonesia's peatlands. Discussions are slow and the critical December U.N. climate meeting is fast approaching, so I'm posting this as a tool to help you get American firms interested in avoided deforestation offsets. Please feel free to use, modify, and distribute this letter widely.
Climate change presents serious risks to Indonesia, including drought, flood, and sea-level rise. However proposed mechanisms for addressing climate change, notably carbon credits, offer an unparalleled economic opportunity for the country. It's time for Indonesia and other countries that will bear the brunt of climate change to reap some of the rewards of their valuable ecosystems. Indonesia: peat swamps and carbon emissions Peat swamps in Indonesia store large amounts of carbon. The destruction and degradation of peat swamps is estimated to release 2 billion tons of carbon -- about 8 percent of global emissions -- each year, according to Wetlands International. Much of this destruction is caused by conversion for oil palm plantations which produce palm oil, increasingly used as a biofuel. While oil palm can be grown sustainably, this is rarely the case in Indonesia, where Wetlands International estimates that production of one metric ton of palm oil will result in an average emission of 20 tons of carbon dioxide from peat decomposition alone, not including emissions resulting from production or combustion. Oil palm plantations have also been linked to social injustices like debt bondage. Nevertheless, oil palm plantations are presently the best economic option for much of rural Indonesia. Avoided deforestation Carbon finance could change all this. Preliminary work suggests that carbon offsets through "avoided deforestation" mechanisms -- whereby landowners and communities receive payments for preserving ecosystems that would otherwise be converted -- could generate income comparable to that of oil palm plantations. The potential benefits are numerous:
How Company X can be involved Indonesia is one of the most populous countries on Earth. Its population is young and Internet use is growing. Through successful pioneering of a carbon finance program (an initiative that could eventually bring billions of dollars a year to the country), Company X could be known as the mover who made the concept happen, establishing a solid basis for its brand. Importantly, with a relatively small commitment, financial or technical, Company X could trigger a movement that helps alleviate poverty, improve health, fight climate change, end "haze" pollution, and conserve resources and biological diversity. Other potential benefits to Company X
If Company X were interested in financial involvement, buying carbon offsets in Indonesia via the Chicago Climate Exchange would be one possibility -- details can be developed. The beneficiaries would be global climate and Indonesia's forests and people. The opportunity does not stop with Indonesia. Avoided deforestation is applicable in any tropical country where deforestation is occurring. Seriously interested corporate parties can contact Rhett A. Butler at mongabay.com for more information. Rhett does not have any financial interest in this effort but can help connect interested parties -- serious inquires only please -- to contacts working on these issues in Indonesia. Beyond the initial introduction, Rhett would not be involved in the process. Alternatively, interested parties can do research on avoided deforestation and look for potential deals with landholders in Indonesia. Prior to entering into any agreements, beware that official mechanisms for avoided deforestation offsets have yet to be established (as of August 29, 2007) under any regulatory framework. Comments? News options SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
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