Rich Country Climate Plans Threaten Economic Growth in Developing Countries

DURBAN, South Africa, December 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- New report spotlights anti-growth impacts of REDD+ programs

A new report - Restricting Growth: The Impact of Industrialized Country Climate Strategies on the World's Poor - will be launched by World Growth at a press conference today at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban.

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The report reveals how proposals on land use and forestry advanced by industrialized countries (the so-called REDD measures) will reduce economic growth in developing countries and increase the likelihood that efforts to regulate global emissions will fail.

World Growth Chairman Ambassador Alan Oxley released the following statement:

"With all parties in virtual agreement that the Kyoto vision of globally mandated controls on emissions of is now dead, industrialized economies are now pushing developing countries to adopt programs to reduce growth in their forestry and agriculture sectors, and restructure their economies as 'low carbon economies.'

"The World Growth report reveals how these strategies will reduce economic growth, and illustrates this with a case study of Indonesia.

"Most disturbing is the strategy advanced by environmental activists and some leading industrialized economies that developing countries should cease further conversion of forest land to other productive uses, such as plantations and food production.

"This strategy will simply reduce productive activity and economic growth and does nothing for conservation. Most forested developing countries have already earmarked large areas of forest for conservation, leaving ample forest land for productive uses.

"Furthermore, research has shown that global emissions from forestry have been significantly overstated and are uncertain at best.

"Already, industrialized countries have pledged over US$5 billion to entice developing countries to adopt REDD strategies. While this money is unlikely to eventuate because the global financial crisis, the offer of the aid money has given the REDD program a credibility it does not deserve.

"Development economists have regularly pointed out that developing countries should not implement costly measures to reduce emissions until they have acquired the wealth to afford the cost.  Until industrialized economies accept this reality, efforts to negotiate a new global strategy to manage the impact of global warming will continue to fail."

Click here to read the report, Restricting Growth: The Impact of Industrialized Country Climate Strategies on the World's Poor.

To speak with World Growth's experts or find out more about its work, please email media@worldgrowth.org or call +1-866-467-7200.

World Growth is an international non-governmental organization established to expand the research, information, advocacy, and other resources to improve the economic conditions and living standards in developing and transitional countries. At World Growth, we embrace the age of globalization and the power of free trade to eradicate poverty and create jobs and opportunities. World Growth supports the production of palm oil and the use of forestry as a means to promote economic growth, reduce poverty and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. World Growth believes a robust cultivation of palm oil and forestry provides an effective means of environmental stewardship that can serve as the catalyst for increasing social and economic development. For more information on World Growth, visit http://www.worldgrowth.org.