Nowhere is the gulf between the dreams of
money-men and real life more complete than in the brave new world of
‘avoided deforestation’.
Known also as ‘reducing emissions from
deforestation and degradation’ (REDD), this dream is likely to become
reality after December’s climate change summit in Copenhagen.

The
idea is simple: at the moment, carbon emissions from deforestation
account for about 18 per cent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, more
than all the world’s trains, cars, lorries, aeroplanes and ships
combined. Getting people out of their cars and planes is hard. Paying
people to not chop down trees looks easy by comparison.

But, damn them, things aren’t always simple. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon likes REDD. Greenpeace, on the other hand, calls it a ‘carbon scam’. And Interpol warns organised crime might muscle in.

But what is the view from the forests?

Take
Papua New Guinea. The country with the world’s third largest rainforest
was among the first to push internationally for REDD. But, in its
remote interior, hundreds of villagers have been sold fake carbon
offset deals in return for not cutting down their local forest by
conmen promising big returns from ‘sky money’.

PNG special
envoy to the United Nations on climate change, Kevin Conrad warns of
‘carbon cowboys…confusing forest communities with tall tales of gold
trains just around the corner’.