More than 40 international organisations have signed on to a declaration of solidarity with the opposition of organisations in Acre and Brazil to REDD credits in California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32).
The declaration highlights the issue of free, prior and informed consent for communities living in and near forests affected by proposals of REDD carbon trading. But in the case of California’s REDD proposals, the letter points out, “such meaningful participation was absent from REDD+ processes in Acre”.
The letter states that,
Forest-dependent peoples have the right to give or withhold their consent to activities that deeply interfere with their way of living.
Similarly, no process of free, prior and informed consent was carried out with communities living near polluting operations in California where pollution will be allowed to continue thanks to REDD carbon credits.
The declaration ends with the principle that instead of introducing REDD carbon trading, California should reduce emissions at home.
Declaration of solidarity with Open Letter from Acre/Brazil on issue of REDD offset credits in California´s cap-and-trade scheme
To:
– The Honorable Jerry Brown, Governor of California
– The California REDD Offset Working Group (Via website stateredd.org
CC: Mary Nichols (Chair, California Air Resources Board), Ashley Conrad-Saydah (Assistant Secretary for Climate Policy, California Environmental Protection Agency), Arsenio Mataka (Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, California Environmental Protection Agency), La Ronda Bowen (Ombudsman, California Air Resources Board)(IN ENGLISH)
We are writing to express our endorsement of the Open Letter sent to you by Brazilian organizations and individuals urging you not to accept REDD offset credits from Acre into your cap-and-trade scheme (see attached Open Letter + Introduction to Open Letter).We believe that their demand for a meaningful participation in any consultation process in Acre related to legislation or programmes linked to REDD activities that already or potentially affect their way of life is legitimate. Forest-dependent peoples have the right to give or withhold their consent to activities that deeply interfere with their way of living. Decisions regarding REDD+ legislation or programmes already do and will in future affect forest peoples’ way of life. Given that such meaningful participation was absent from REDD+ processes in Acre or during the elaboration of recommendations to the government of California in this matter, we urge you not to include REDD offset credits into the California carbon trading scheme.
We also share the additional concerns on the REDD+ mechanism and support the demand made in the Open Letter that instead of including REDD offsets credits from Acre in its carbon trading scheme, California should rather engage in efforts to reduce emissions at home.
Yours sincerely,
(EM PORTUGUÊS)
Estamos escrevendo para expressar nosso apoio à Carta Aberta que lhe foi enviada por organizações e pessoas brasileiras (em anexo carta aberta e Introdução) pedindo-lhe para não aceitar créditos de compensação de REDD do Acre em seu esquema de limitação e comércio (cap-and-trade).Consideramos legítima a exigência que fazem de uma participação significativa em qualquer processo de consulta no Acre relacionado a legislação ou programas vinculados a atividades de REDD que já ou potencialmente afetem seu modo de vida. Os povos que dependem da floresta têm direito de dar ou negar seu consentimento a atividades que interfiram profundamente em seu modo de vida. Decisões sobre legislação ou programas de REDD+ já afetam, e afetarão no futuro, o modo de vida dos povos da floresta. Tendo em conta que essa participação significativa esteve ausente dos processos de REDD+ no Acre ou durante a elaboração de recomendações ao governo da Califórnia sobre o tema, pedimos que não se incluam créditos de compensação de REDD no regime de comércio de carbono da Califórnia.
Também compartilhamos as outras preocupações sobre o mecanismo de REDD+ e apoiamos a reivindicação feita na Carta Aberta, de que a Califórnia não inclua os créditos de compensação de REDD do Acre em seu esquema de comércio de carbono, e sim realize esforços para reduzir as emissões no próprio estado.
Atenciosamente,
Organizations:
AAE Asociación de Agricultura Ecológica – Peru
All India Forum of Forest Movement
ARA – Germany
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
Biofuelwatch UK/US
Brainforest, Gabon
CAPPA-Ecological Justice, Indonesia
Carbon Trade Watch
CEIBA-Guatemala
COEOCEIBA-Friends of the Earth Costa Rica
FADEMAD-Peru
FEDICAMP-Nicaragua
FERN-UK
FOEI – Friends of the Earth International
Food & Water Watch, USA
Friends of the Earth-US – USA
Friends of the Earth Argentine
Friends of the Earth Australia
Friends of the Earth Malaysia
Global Forest Coalition
Health of Mother Earth Foundation – Nigeria
Hnutí DUHA – Friends of the Earth Czech Republic
ICCA Consortium
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), USA
JA!Justiça Ambiental/ FOE Moçambique
MEFP, Central African Republic
Mujeres Saparas del Ecuador
NESPON, India
OLCA – Chile
Otros Mundos AC/Chiapas, México
Pro-Regenwald – Germany
RECOMA – Latinamerican Network Against Tree Monocultures
Rising the Tide North America
Russian NGO Friends of the Siberian Forests
Savia, escuela de pensamiento ecologista, Guatemala
Sobrevivencia/Friends of the Earth-Paraguay
Society for Threatened Peoples – Germany
Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) Liberia
The Cornerhouse – UK
Timberwatch Coalition – South Africa
World Rainforest Movement (WRM) – UruguayIndividuals:
Ana Esther Ceceña – Observatorio Latinoamericano de Geopolítica
Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas, UNAM – México
Cristina Steffen, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, México
Guillermo Ortega – Investigador del Centro de Investigación BASE IS- Paraguay
José Enrique González Ruiz. Coordinador del Postgrado en Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México
Josefina Mena Abraham, Pdta. Grupo de Tecnología Alternativa SC
Pablo Mansilla Salinas – México
Protet Judicaël Essono Ondo, Brainforest, Gabon
Rebeca Peralta Mariñelarena – Posgrado en Estudios Latinoamericanos-UNAM -México
Zenzi Fujiyama – Walhi – Indonesia