Wong forest action should start at home

Bob Brown
CLIMATE Change Minister Penny Wong’s call for deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries to stop, because it produces 20% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, should translate into action in Australia, Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said today (Sunday).

“If the Rudd Government stops unnecessary deforestation and forest degradation from the Tiwi Islands to Tasmania it would reduce this nation’s greenhouse output by 15-20%,” Senator Brown said today.

“This amount dwarfs the 5-15% target that Minister Wong has set under the Emissions Trading Scheme and would be much cheaper to achieve.

“Minister Wong should explain if she has a perverse intent in calling for an end to forest destruction in developing countries. This could open the way for Australia’s dirtiest polluters to buy rainforest credits cheaply in Indonesia to avoid cleaning up their act at home.

“Senator Wong and Prime Minister Rudd endorse logging in Tasmania which emit more greenhouse gases than the whole of the Tasmania transport sectors combines,” Senator Brown concluded.