Schneider: per-hectare premium for the rainforest
How can the destruction of the rainforest be stopped? Ahead of the World Climate Conference, Environment Minister Schneider is promoting a Brazilian initiative.
Berlin (dpa) – Environment Minister Carsten Schneider has spoken out in favour of a per-hectare premium for the rainforest ahead of the World Climate Conference COP30. “The idea is that tropical countries should be rewarded for preserving their forests instead of cutting them down. For every hectare of intact forest that remains standing, they would receive a small annual payment – and a multiple of that amount would be deducted if it is destroyed,” said Schneider. He noted that the whole world benefited from the existence of the rainforest. “It is our air conditioner.”
The background is an initiative launched by this year’s COP host country, Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a multi-billion fund for tropical forests in September. The fund, Tropical Forests Forever (TFFF), is due to be officially launched in November at COP30 in Belém, in the Amazon region. Its aim is to make conserving rainforests financially more attractive than clearing them.
The German environment minister intends to support the initiative at the conference, which will take place from 10 to 21 November.