Voices of Youth

Los innumerables ecosistemas naturales que alberga nuestro planeta Tierra, representan una fuente de vida sumamente variada y al mismo tiempo, oportunidades para el desarrollo de las sociedades actuales, siempre y cuando sean manejados bajo lineamientos sustentables para poder permitir el adecuado uso de los recursos naturales a futuras generaciones.

A lo largo de los años hemos evidenciado como el afán del hombre por ir siempre “más allá de sus posibilidades creíbles”, ha degradado millones de espacios naturales a nivel global, perjudicando la biodiversidad existente en el área y el equilibrio holístico de todo el sistema. La deforestación por ejemplo, ha sido una de las causas más perjudiciales para acelerar el cambio climático global. Alrededor de un 17% de los Gases de Efecto Invernadero (GEI), provienen de la destrucción y la tala de bosques.

La extensa región de la Amazonia, no escapa de esta cruda realidad. En su mayor parte, la deforestación, la minería ilegal y la agricultura intensiva, han sido las principales problemáticas que han afectado directamente a esta selva de importancia mundial. Según la FAO, entre los años 2000 y 2010, se perdieron casi 13 millones de hectáreas de bosques.

La Amazonia está integrada por ocho países de América del Sur (Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guayana, Perú, Surinam y Venezuela), ocupando una extensión total de 6 millones de kilómetros cuadrados. Algunas condiciones ambientales, geológicas y geográficas, han sido las bases atractivas para considerar esta región, como una fuente de vida absoluta para muchos investigadores y ambientalistas de todo el mundo.

Esta sorprendente ecosistema, es considerada como la selva más grande del todo el planeta incluyendo beneficios ecológicos y sociales debido alas grandes riquezas que posee en relación a plantas curativas y medicinales, alimentos, entre otros. Según estudios recientes, se han logrado identificar más de 2 millones de especies animales y vegetales en toda la región. Según el navegante Jacques Custeau, en la Amazonia existen más especies de peces que en el mismo Océano Atlántico, lo cual quiere decir que la diversidad biológica que alberga esta increíble creación natural es mayor de la que realmente nos podemos imaginar.

A pesar de todo lo anterior, la deforestación y el cambio climático son amenazas latentes para este mega diverso ecosistema. En el año 2010 por ejemplo, la tala ilegal en la Amazonia, alcanzo 100 kilómetros cuadrados en tan solo dos meses. Sin embargo, las cifras de deforestación causaron alarma durante el año 2011, ya que entre Marzo y Abril, más de 500 kilómetros cuadrados de selva amazónica, fueron talados de forma ilegal. Es de acotar, que tradicionalmente, estos son momentos del año que corresponden a una baja destrucción de la selva, según años anteriores.

De acuerdo a Houhton (2005), los árboles en los bosques amazónicos contienen entre 60.000 y 80.000 millones de toneladas de carbono, cantidades que son mayores que las de las emisiones mundiales generadas por el hombre durante una década. La deforestación que tiene lugar en la Amazonia brasileña libera por sí sola cerca de 200 millones de toneladas de carbono al año, y supone el 3 por ciento de las emisiones mundiales netas de carbono.

Según la FAO, en América del Sur, han crecido rápidamente los cultivos de soya y cereales para incrementar la producción de alimentos, sin embargo no se ha realizado de una forma eficiente, produciendo explotación de tierras y zonas boscosas. A pesar de esto, la región suramericana, aún mantiene un 50% de cobertura boscosa, especialmente por la Amazonía, y representa el 23% de los bosques del mundo, con la particularidad de tener las selvas con la más rica biodiversidad del planeta.

De igual forma, recientemente un informe de la NASA, señalaba una importante regresión de la vegetación alrededor de la cuenca del Rio Amazonas, producida por una fuerte sequía ocurrida en el año 2010, la cual afecto un área 1,65 veces más amplia que la sequía ocurrida en el año 2005 (representada en unos 5 millones de kilómetros cuadrados de vegetación).

Frente a estas realidades, es necesario cambiar los lineamientos actuales y orientar los esfuerzos a centrar políticas forestales. Cambiar los modelos de explotación por tecnologías que no degraden el ecosistema y permitan un desarrollo sustentable dentro de la región. Es urgente fortalecer las prácticas agrícolas amigables con el entorno y climáticamente inteligentes. Igualmente, es necesario evitar el uso extensivo de superficies terrestres para la ganadería y el cultivo de soya.

La conservación y sustentabilidad de este espacio natural, representa un desafío para las sociedades y en específico para los gobiernos de los países que la integran. Brasil recientemente promulgo un nuevo Código Forestal que contiene una amnistía para los taladores, enmienda que transfiere la competencia a os estados para legislar sobre producción en áreas de preservación permanente del bosque, liberando entre 40 y 60 millones de hectáreas para su explotación.

Colombia sufre estragos por el avance de colonos y narcotraficantes que arrasan los bosques de la Amazonia y crean impacto de grandes proporciones en las zonas boscosas. Venezuela sufre una terrible amenaza de deforestación y contaminación mercurial en sus ríos debido a la minería ilegal. Ecuador, Perú y Bolivia han podido resguardar grandes cantidades de bosques, dejando de un lado el problema crítico. Mientras tanto Guyana y Surinam, han podido mantener lejos la intervención del hombre dentro de los bosques debido a sus actuales políticas forestales.

La conservación y preservación de estos espacios, es tarea de todos pero sobre todo para los gobiernos, el cual representa un desafío para América del Sur y el resto del mundo. Es necesario establecer políticas forestales y ambientales para asegurar la sustentabilidad de ese gran reservorio ecológico, social y cultural.

“Los árboles y las plantas son nuestros aliados. Seremos libres si aprendemos de ellos”

Vandana Shiva

Foto: Phil P Harris.

During my participation in the COP-16 (Mexico, 2010) I found the publication "The Little Climate Finance Book", that has been produced by the Global Canopy Programme (GCP), in collaboration with: Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and Australian National University (ANU).

The first time I read it, I found it very interesting because the managing of all information in relation with financing options for forests and climate change worldwide, is very well oriented to some studies analysis in developed and developing countries.

In this article, I want to share some reflections about forests and climate change and almost of all, options for REDD+.

According to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, "the impact of climate change is already being felt in many developing countries, yet these countries have not been the primary cause of it. The necessary actions to halt climate change and the ways in which nations, such as my own, can be a part of the overall solution are becoming clearer. What requires further clarification is how these actions should be financed, who should shoulder the responsibility and who should receive the benefits".

Emissions from deforestation account for around 17% of global GHG emissions, more than the entire transport sector (IPCC, 2007). An agreement is currently being negotiated under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to include reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in a future climate change regime.

Forests are therefore acknowledged as both a source and a sink of carbon emissions. This potential of forests to act as both a source and a sink means that activities under REDD+ account for around 22% of global mitigation potential. Forests play a crucial role in developing countries' ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Forests provide vital ecosystem services such as rainfall, recycling that are especially important from a climate change adaptation perspective. "Climate finance will give urgent support needed by the developing world to take immediate steps to move on to a low-carbon development pathway. It can also enable the most vulnerable countries including the least developed countries and small islands, developing states adapt to the effects of climate change" (Sir Michael Somare).

The impacts of climate change are felt the most strongly in developing countries and it's the poorest countries that are least equipped to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Financing REDD+ will be an essential part of the Bali Action Plan, since forests account for nearly 40% of developing country mitigation potential and can play a crucial role in developing countries ability to adapt to climate change.

Forests therefore are an essential component of developing countries efforts to combat climate change. Tropical rainforests also directly support the livelihoods of 90% of the 1.4. Billion people living in extreme poverty (World Bank, 2004). The loss of forests therefore jeopardises the livelihoods of the poor and the ability of the world’s poorest to adapt to climate change.

Climate finance is currently delivered through an array of public and private financial instruments including grants, concessional loans, equity and the project-based delivery mechanism under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Under the UNFCCC mandate, finance is delivered through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund and CDM. Public and private sector finance can use grants, debt, equity and market-based mechanisms (such as the purchase of emission reduction credits) to deliver financial resources; the choice of these instruments will depend on who and why the revenue is being generated.

According to Andrew Mitchell (Founder and Director of Global Canopy Programme), "forests offer a onetime opportunity to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Approximately 20% of the emissions reductions needed by 2020 to present global temperatures rising above 2 Celsius can be achieved by reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, conserving forests carbon stocks and enhancing forests carbon stock through afforestation and reforestation".

Our current development model and our total dependence on fossil fuels have been the main causes for the current social and economical imbalance that humanity is facing right now. The entire world is living critical situations related to the environment, the economy and politics, which have reduced the capacity of governments to ensure a suitable quality of life for its citizens. Without any doubt about it, climate change is one of the main situations that afflict humanity, causing a lot confusion and instability in society and creating general alarm actions oriented towards adaptation and mitigation. Therefore, global warming is the main challenge facing society to ensure the survival of humanity and all species, trying to make connections economic, political, technological, and social relationship to the environment and its resources. In this case, renewable energy, representing the first step that the world must take into account to promote adequate access to sustainable development, thus improving the quality of life of societies, including aspects such as education, health, water and food security. Energy efficiency at the local, national and international, allowing consolidation of sustainable development and a step forward in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, promulgated by the United Nations in 2000, with the aim of promoting equitable development in all nations of the world, improving the quality of life of people. At present, more than 3000 million people worldwide, rely solely on traditional biomass or coal as the main energy sources and more than 1.4 billion people have no access to any form of energy. Is possible to live in a world with a fossil-free energy system? Sustainable energy refers to a permanence over time, with minimal impact on energy expenditure, which would imply a new form of development to social and environmental connection. Another necessary aspect, is the discussion of access and rational use of renewable energy, because unfortunately, not all nations have the same opportunity to use or distribute clean energy in an effective way, thus, further complications in promoting the quality of life of people, especially those who are most vulnerable. Resources derived from renewable energy, many nations can obtain direct benefits to its citizens. Thus, they can improve the living conditions of their communities and are otherwise mitigating climate change. The world population growth has been dramatic in recent decades, it is for this reason, it is necessary to promote eco-citizen awareness, both corporations organized as governments, strengthening the creation of public policies based on the right have and enjoy a "clean environment", through viable and affordable solutions. Although at present, some nations have mobilized for efficient energy strategy, still not enough and it is really worrying future projections on the use of coal as an energy priority for everyone. Focus the alternative to change through renewable energies, should be considered a challenge. We must learn to combat the "fears" of the phenomenon generated by fossil fuels and understand that a key to success lies within the same ecological options of our Earth and the science available to us. To that end, the exchange of technologies and experience, will help strengthen the implementation of a renewable energy system, which together with the support of national and international policies, we could establish a genuine transition to an equitable system overall. It's not about acting to curb climate change, it's about the same act to adapt and survive in a world with a growing population and an intensification in increasing demand for natural resources and energy.

“Energy conservation is the foundation of energy independence”. - Thomas H. Allen