'Don't dump carbon on Indonesia'

About 20 protesters gathered outside the prime minister's office on November 18 to protest against Australia's "carbon colonialism", telling Kevin Rudd "Don't dump on Indonesia".

The protest coincided with one held in Jakarta outside the AusAid office. More protests were planned for November 25. The Sydney protests are organised by Friends of the Earth (FOE).

The following article is abridged from a FOE statement produced for the action. For more information, visit www.sydney.foe.org.au.

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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme allows for 100% of Australian emissions reductions to be found offshore. Federal Treasury predicts at least 50% reliance on offshore credits to achieve the lowest reduction in emissions (5%).

Rudd is now looking for cheap offshore offsets for Australian emissions. Indonesia is the first target, with the AusAid funded Kalimantan Forests and Climate project designed to establish reduced deforestation as an acceptable offset.

Local groups in Indonesia, including WALHI, Indonesia's largest environment organisation, and the Indonesian Union of Small Farmers, are opposed to Australia's offset schemes and are protesting [today] at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. These Sydney actions are in solidarity with Indonesian indigenous peoples now on the receiving end of Rudd's carbon colonialism.

[On November 24] we'll be releasing a joint report with AID/WATCH about the Australian government's use of aid money to fund forest offset projects, to further their political agenda for the Copenhagen international climate change negotiations.

Uncertain emissions reductions, opposition from local communities and a failure to address the real causes of deforestation are just three of the problems with the Australian government's plans to develop forest carbon offset schemes in the forests of Indonesia, according to campaigners.

From GLW issue 819