Intact forests provide clear water and clean air. They are structurally diverse and harbour a biologically diverse plant and animal community, from which forest peoples derive substantial parts of their livelihoods.

SinksWatch
An initiative to track and scrutinize carbon sink projects

The focus of SinksWatch is on tree plantation sinks projects, particularly in areas where land tenure and land use rights are in dispute. That said, to understand fully the flaws of carbon offset schemes involving tree planting we also provide analysis showing why carbon offsets generally are a dangerous distraction from the task at hand - drastically and swiftly reducing fossil fuel emissions.

Speaking Tour on Carbon Trading and Climate Change in North America by Members of the Durban Group For Climate Justice. Members of the Durban Group, including FERN met with environmental and socail activists, student and community groups throughout the US and Canada in January and February 2008 to share experiences of the failures of carbon trading in Europe, India, Brazil, Uganda and elsewhere, and to learn more about U.S. carbon trading plans and climate politics. See the publications section for some of the presentations of the tour.

Flawed Assumptions in Bali as Forests Return to the Conference Table. FERN's take-home message from the December 2007 climate talks in Bali. For further reading on the debate around climate change, forests and deforestation see FERN's Seeing REDD briefing; the Forest Peoples Programme report of the same title and the Rainforest Foundation UK report Carbon Sunk.

The Carbon Connection. Watch the Carbon Trade Watch video about two distant communities affected by one global market.

'The Other Side of Carbon'. Fortune Magazine article documents deteriorating situation for local communities affected by carbon offset project in Uganda. For more information on these offset projects, including the World Rainforest Movement report ‘A funny place to store carbon’ click here.

Best reads on offsets schemes and carbon trading:
'The Carbon Neutral Myth: Indulgences for your climate sins'.

"Bad for the South, bad for the North, and bad for the climate”
'Carbon Trading. A critical conversation on climate change, privatisation and power' exposes flaws of carbon trading.

Raised voices
Filmed testimonies from people affected by climate change and the oil industry. Listen to the collection of short statements from people living on the fenceline of the oil industry and from people in the global South on issues related to climate change.

BioCarbon Fund = data_fiddling_Inc.jail.com?
A template document for BioCarbonFund project developers to estimate sequestration rates was posted recently on the World Bank carbon finance website. The template used some slightly irreverent examples to illustrate how to fill in certain fields. The highlight was in the section “Contact (preferably email)” which was filled in “fred@data_fiddling_Inc.jail.com”. They said it!

SinksWatch, Cornerhouse and Carbon Trade Watch submit memorandum to the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee . More