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Press Release
29 November 2007
Climate change deal must include action on deforestation, Minister says
Action
on reducing deforestation is vital if the world is serious about tackling
climate change, Trade and Development Minister Gareth Thomas said today.
Speaking in London at the launch of a series of new DFID-funded films and publications on illegal logging, Gareth Thomas said:
“Deforestation is responsible for a fifth of all carbon dioxide emissions. We cannot tackle climate change without addressing emissions from deforestation. I call on governments to unite over the next fortnight in Bali to start designing an effective future climate change deal that includes action on deforestation. I will be there and hope to encourage others to ensure a future treaty includes incentives for sustainable forest management which reflect the true value of keeping forests intact.
“Policies on deforestation should be shaped and led by the nations where forests are, which is why it’s so important that action on deforestation is part of the next climate deal struck through the UN process. Developing countries, especially those which have large areas of natural forest, must be part of any climate change deal for it to succeed. As the Stern report on the economics of climate change made clear, better governance is fundamental if we are to avoid the negative impacts of deforestation.”
The resources launched today include two publications on illegal logging and
forest governance and five short films, produced by Handcrafted Films, on the
impacts of illegal logging in Indonesia and efforts to tackle it.
Read the publications and view the films:
- Illegal logging: Tackling crime, improving livelihoods
(1,041 kb)
- Crime and Persuasion: Tackling illegal logging, improving forest governance
- To view the films please visit
Handcrafted films
Consequences of illegal logging
Gareth Thomas continued:
“Forests used to cover almost half of all the land on our planet. Now they cover just 29%. A significant proportion is still illegally harvested and traded – an industry that’s worth billions of dollars.
“It is poor people who suffer most from the consequences of illegal logging and the UK’s Department for International Development has been working with governments of developing countries to tackle deforestation and improve forest governance. As well as building capacity and accountability in timber-producing countries, we also need to address the demand for illegally-logged timber. The EU and UK are working hard to drive change in both these areas.”
Film makers Paul Redman and Tim Lewis, of Handcrafted Films, said:
“We hope these stories will provide a platform for Indonesian civil society who have campaigned tirelessly to preserve their forests with the minimum of resources. In this day and age, groups like these, through highlighting crime and injustices are an indispensable part of forging a more democratic world.”
Faith Doherty, from the Environmental Investigation Authority, said:
“By teaching local people the very same film and research skills and methods we use for documenting our investigations, EIA and organisations such as Telapak , an Indonesian NGO made up from a network of national activists, aim to empower communities to protect their environments and to effect change.”
Forests provide critical elements of the livelihoods of some of the poorest people in the world and support a global trade in forest products worth $270 billion a year.
Notes for Editors
- To view the films please visit
- The
- For further information, contact Heather Pillans on 020 7023 1752 or 020 7023 0600, e-mail Press office or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.