VIVAnews - The environmental NGO Greenpeace urged that leaders of Southeast Asian countries gathering in the 14th ASEAN Summit in Thailand to make approval on zero deforestation.
Based on a written statement of Greenpeace of Southeast Asia's Forest Campaign Spokesperson, Bustar Maitar, zero deforestation is an effort to decrease the deforestation rate down to zero in ASEAN countries by the year 2020.
Therefore, Greenpeace also demanded that leaders of ASEAN countries immediately issue the deforestation moratorium policy in their own countries.
Bustar explained that the global deforestation is responsible for 20 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, stopping the deforestation is an urgency. He also expected that ASEAN supports Greenpeace's calls to several industrial countries for donating around 30 billion euro per year.
In addition, he also added that the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) scheme be agreed to ensure the biodiversity protection as well as acknowledge the indigenous community's right.
The mechanism will not give any opportunity for industrial emissions. It is also related with the national funding to achieve zero deforestation in emerging countries by 2020.
"Basically, the mechanism offers financing which is related to the market, whose system will combine the goals in climate and biodiversity and give opportunity for developing countries experiencing deforestation to participate," Bustar added.
Meanwhile, Campaign Manager of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Tara Buakamsri, said ASEAN countries have been affected by climate change. Therefore, it is important for the leaders of the ASEAN countries to protect people's economy from being affected by the disaster.
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Translated by: Ariyantri E. Tarman
