Wednesday, 16 December 2009

The risk of non-sustainable climate deals

Whatever the outcome of COP 15, technological development and innovation will take us rapidly towards a more carbonefficient era. But the challenge is more complex than just stabilizing greeenhouse gasses in the atmosphere-the solutions must also be sustainable. There is a huge risk, when big money is put to work within in a short time frame, that we overrule important social and ecological factors and create new problems solving the one in focus.

The Norwegian delegation at COP 15 has the REDD program ( UN's program on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests) as one of their priorities, and our government has promised to contribute with 3 billion NOK a year for tropical forest preservation. Important questions arise: How will the coming investements in developing countries affect local communities? the biodiversity? and how to avoid corruption?

The Guardian has adressed some of these questions earlier this automn http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/05/un-forest-protection

I also recommend Regnskogfondets blog:
http://regnskogfondet.blogspot.com/2009/12/dagens-pressebrief-i-kbenhavn-lars.html

My message is that we have to keep on with our work and capasity building on sustainable engineering and design along all three dimensions- economic, ecological and social - to get the climate solutions right.

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