| December 14, 2009 |  |
Vilsack Forest Funding Announcement is Big Step Forward in Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (December 16, 2009) — Today's announcement by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack that the United States will commit $1 billion over the next three years to help protect tropical forests was lauded by a leading U.S. science group as a "big step forward." Clearing tropical forests generates about 15 percent of the world's annual global warming emissions. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement at an event sponsored by Avoided Deforestation Partners at the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen.
"This major commitment of short-term funding to preserve tropical forests is a big step toward re-establishing U.S. leadership in addressing global warming," said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "Now is the time to build on this commitment to seal the deal in Copenhagen."
The $1 billion is in addition to the funding that U.S. climate and energy legislation would provide to protect tropical forests.
Reducing tropical deforestation is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to reduce emissions, according to UCS. Two years ago, Norway announced it would commitment $500 million annually to reduce deforestation at a climate summit in Bali, Knobloch pointed out. "Now the United States has shown that it is willing to play in the same league."
Discussions about how to include tropical forest protection in a final agreement are entering their final phase in Copenhagen. Ministers will be negotiating the final text today and tomorrow. Treaty talks conclude on Friday.
"The U.S. announcement was timed to influence the tropical forest negotiations at a critical point," said Doug Boucher, director of UCS's Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative. "We hope it will be a final push that helps bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
