Norway will team up with forest-rich countries on deforestation issues.
The Norwegian government said today it will work closely with some developing countries to make sure deforestation becomes part of a new international climate treaty.
“As part of the work to get a legally binding agreement in Mexico in 2010 I will take the initiative to establish a special group with the most important rainforest countries,” Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.
He mentioned Brazil, Indonesia, Guyana, Gabon and Papua New Guinea as some of the nations Norway will seek to cooperate with.
He will invite leaders from the countries to a meeting in Oslo before June 2010.
Norway has pledged to contribute billions of dollars to reduce deforestation, estimated to account for around 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
A number of countries are pushing for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (Redd) to be part of a future UN climate change treaty.
Redd was part of the Copenhagen Accord agreed , although the final shape of a Redd mechanism is yet to be hammered out.
A decision on whether to allow the generation of carbon credits from avoided deforestation was pushed back to 2010.
“By reducing deforestation we can achieve the biggest, fastest and cheapest emission cuts,” Stoltenberg said.
He said Norway will cooperate closely with the Mexican presidency of the next climate summit to make sure a new treaty is binding.
