With respect to the idea of fair share by location, however, climate change does not function according to national/geographic boundaries. Regardless of where greenhouse gas emissions are generated, those emissions exacerbate climate change for the whole world. Similarly, regardless of where offset projects are located, their emission reductions benefit the whole world. Think of the Earth”s atmosphere – there are no walls between different countries” airspaces, and therefore emission increases or reductions anywhere will affect climate on a global scale.

To illustrate that last point: Tropical deforestation accounts for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions – the second largest source after power generation, and twice the emissions of all the world”s cars and trucks. While the tropics are near the Equator, the destruction of their rainforests is causing climate change impact that is currently most severe at the North and South Poles.

One reason deforestation is happening so rapidly is the lack of incentive for tropical countries to protect their rainforests when they could make money by selling the wood and converting that land to plantations and pastures instead. Simply put, these countries want to get paid for protecting their rainforests and forgoing other revenue sources, while other countries don’t want to pay for what they think of as “doing nothing.” This standoff is why the Kyoto Protocol doesn’t make any provision to reward forest conservation.

Our work with Conservation International to save the Sovi Basin addresses this key missing element in the Kyoto Protocol. While we shouldn’t consider the Sovi Basin an “offset” because it’s not additional, we believe this conservation effort is the right thing to do in light of the significant impact of tropical deforestation on the Earth and its residents.

Thank you!