Statement by the Plurinational State of Bolivia
At the 18th session of the Conference of
the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which
is being held in Doha-Qatar November 26-December 7, the Bolivian delegation has
reaffirmed its rejection of the use and expansion of carbon markets as a tool
for reducing emissions causing climate change in the world, and presented a
proposal using alternative tools not based on carbon markets.
Why are carbon markets not a response to
the climate crisis?
In 2005, a scheme was implemented [the REDD
– Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries] under which developed
countries, which are historically responsible for climate change, were allowed
to transfer their carbon reduction responsibilities to the developing countries
through the use of carbon markets, enabling the developed countries to purchase
reductions on the pretext that they were achieving greater economic efficiency
in the fight against climate change.
This mechanism allows the developed
countries to purchase emission reductions from the developing countries, at
prices of 3 to 20 dollars per ton of carbon, to help fulfil their commitments,
when it would have cost them an average of $38 to reduce the same ton. They
argued that this would help reduce the emissions of the developed countries.
To date, about twice the amount of 1990
carbon emissions by developed countries has been accounted for in carbon
markets. The carbon market is a profitable business. But it does not in fact
contribute to reducing emissions or solving the climate crisis.
This is an alarming situation, especially
when scientists are speaking out strongly about the need for genuine reductions
if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.
If we take a careful look again at the
numbers, we realize that emissions have increased and continue to increase,
notwithstanding that the carbon market data are an attempt to demonstrate the
opposite. It is critical that there be no further delay in taking immediate
action and achieving real reductions.
We simply cannot leave the solution to the
problem of climate change to carbon markets, which have demonstrated great
efficiency in generating profits for the big corporations (about $720 billion)
at the cost of speculation and postponement of real action to confront climate
change.
The Plurinational
State of Bolivia proposes implementation of
a new joint mechanism for adaptation and mitigation through integrated
management of forests that prevents deforestation and avoids the emission of
millions of tons of greenhouse gases. It will be funded through the
Convention’s Green Fund, using public funds from the developed countries, in line
with the commitments made by these countries for a decade with no results to
date.
The mechanism proposed by Bolivia, which
critically differs from REDD, represents a genuine alternative that is
consistent with the principles of the Convention, and especially with the
principles of equity, historical responsibility, and climate debt. It is a
proposal that seeks to achieve real reductions and not speculation about
trends, supplemented by actions for real reductions in emissions within the
industrialized countries — thereby avoiding the transfer of their
responsibilities to the developing countries.
Translated by Richard Fidler
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