Thursday, December 1, 2011
Living Planet: What is so special about carbon?
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Podcast Episode Summary
Eco-guards are dispatched to the Gishwati rainforest in Rwanda; we travel to India to investigate carbon offset programs; forest-dwelling indigenous groups want more say in the future of their homes; and developing nations report bullying at the climate negotiations.
You can listen to the show online or subscribe to Living Planet as a podcast. Click on the links below for the individual items. Finding out if carbon offset funds are well spentOur correspondent travels to India to find out how carbon offset donations are used.The organisation Atmosfair uses donations from airline travelers to offset the carbon emitted during their flight. Our correspondent travels to Jalalpur, India to look at projects started with Atmofair's donations. He discovers that carbon offsetting may ease your guilt but isn't necessarily going to stop global warming.
Report: Georg MatthesReports of bullying at climate talksThe World Development Movement has accused British and US climate negotiators of bullying and bribing poorer nations at the climate talks.At the climate talks in Copenhagen in 2009, leading industrialized nations acknowledged the financial challenges facing developing countries as climate change takes its toll. They agreed to mobilize billions of euros to help poorer nations cope with the effects. But a new report says Britain and the United States are using that money to forward their own agendas.
Report: Nik Martin, LondonREDD treaty protects forests, forgets peopleReducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation is a UN scheme to protect forests. But forest-dwelling indigenous groups want more say about the future of their homes.Forests are considered 'carbon sinks' because they absorb carbon from the atmosphere in vast quantities. Preserving the forests has become a priority for climate negotiators. But what about the people living and working in the world's forests? They are demanding more say in plans to preserve the places they call home.
Report: Helle JeppesenEcoguards dispatched to the Gishwati rainforestRwanda has a plan for preserving the remaining trees of the lush Gishwati rainforest. Six ecoguards monitor the tree stand, preventing locals from harvesting wood, honey or fruit.
We venture into the last lush stands of Rwanda's Gishwati rainforest. It's home to the eastern chimpanzee, golden monkeys, wild sunbirds, herbs, wildflowers, and ancient trees.
But the people who live near the forest are very poor and they often enter the forest looking for food and fuel. Sometimes, their cows wander freely trampling native plants. So, Rwanda has a plan for preserving the what is left of the Gishwati. They have hired eco-guards to patrol and protect the forest.
Report: Simone Schlindwein
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