MEDIA RELEASE

Environmental NGOs call for closure of World Bank climate change fund

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, APRIL 19TH, 2004. Today, over fifty
environmental and social justice NGOs and other groups sent a
letter of protest to the World Bank calling for the closure of
its new emissions trading fund, The Prototype Carbon Fund.

In the year of the World Bank's 60th anniversary and in the
run-up to intense protests in Washington D.C. at their annual
meeting this month, the groups state that the Bank's new fund is
destructive greenwash and has in fact created extra problems for
communities and the environment. The fund was set up in 1999 to
facilitate the new trade in greeenhouse gases created under the
Kyoto Protocol. The NGOs state that so far the fund has
exacerbated existing human rights violations and furthered
environmental destruction.

One of the fund's model projects is located in Brazil and
involves the expansion of monoculture eucalyptus plantations
owned by the corporation, Plantar. The plantations were
originally established by forcibly evicting geraiszeiros peoples
from the land and since then the plantation's owners have been
accused of creating "slave-like conditions" . Furthermore, the
plantations have heavily polluted surrounding water sources thus
devastating the livelihoods of local farmers and fisher-folk.

The World Bank will fund the expansion of these plantations in
order to generate 'carbon credits' for the international trade
in greenhouse gases. However on top of the impacts upon the
local environment and peoples, the verifiers of the carbon
credit scheme, Det Norske Veritas, have stated that there is no
guarantee that the project will actually have a permanent
positive effect on the climate. Marcelo Calazans from local
Brazilian NGO, FASE-ES, states;

"This and many other projects have terrible negative impacts on
local people and environments and it is still unclear if there
is any real benefits for the climate. We believe that the
Prototype Carbon Fund should cease operations and close down
immediately."

Attached is a full copy of the letter sent to the World Bank and
the signatories. For more information please contact Tamra
Gilbertson on 0642 525766 or Maïmouna Fall on 0645 624106 or see
www.tni.org/ctw or www.sinkswatch.org or www.cdmwatch.org

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Open Letter to the World Bank 19 April 2004

We, teachers, scholars, activists, scientists, students,
Indigenous peoples, landless people, peasants, NGOs, and others
from the North and South, do not recognise the legitimacy of the
World Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF). PCF projects would
both be climatically ineffective and disrespect principles of
economic, social and environmental justice.

The PCF was born out of the World Bank's efforts to promote
neoliberalism. It is an instrument to commodify the atmosphere,
promote privatisation and concentrate resources in the hands of
a few, taking away the rights of the many to live with dignity.

The PCF is not a mechanism for mitigating climate change:
· It allows the industrialised North to continue business as
usual, thus impacting the planet's climate.
· It obstructs the necessary change from fossil fuels to
climate-friendly and socially-just energy sources.
· It creates a new market niche into which polluters can spread
risk, expand their business and ensure institutional survival.
· It legitimises a market for an indefinable "commodity" which
claims to consist of greenhouse gases or pollution, but in fact
cannot be reliably described, quantified or verified.
· It generates further negative impacts on local peoples,
particularly in the case of carbon "sink" tree plantations.

The PCF says that it offers a "learning-by-doing" opportunity to
its stakeholders:

Participants in the Fund agreed on a set of project selection
and portfolio development criteria designed to serve the
"learning-by-doing" objective of the PCF while reducing project
risk through portfolio diversity. (www.prototypecarbonfund.org).

However, having followed the PCF's activities and projects to
date, we have learned-by-its doings that it does not avert
dangerous climate change but instead increases hardship for
local communities. This exposes inherent flaws not only in its
own projects, but in project-based "carbon trading" as a whole
and the offset culture underpinning it. Any other similar fund
or trading regime will systematically replicate these flaws.

The World Bank has shown itself to be an undemocratic
institution, dogmatically enforcing "free-market" ideology and
promoting corporate interests. More than half a century of its
activities have persistently failed to implement even the Bank's
own environmental and social standards. World Bank policy has
had a profound negative impact on the South, alienating,
excluding and indebting communities which cannot afford to
participate in, or defend themselves from, a neo-liberal
globalised economy.

The PCF extends the World Bank's unacceptable political
activities into a new sphere with its own special technical
impossibilities. The PCF accordingly must be closed down as a
first step in the right direction. It is neither "carbon" nor
pollution that is being traded, but people's lives and paper
certificates claiming to be carbon credits. Offset culture and
pollution trading must be rejected as false solutions to climate
change.

We are committed to reclaiming space from the neo-liberal
institutions for community led solutions towards environmental
justice.

1- TimberWatch, South Africa
2- Ponglert Pongwanan, Alternative Energy Project for
Sustainability, Thailand
3- Groundwork, South Africa
4- FASE-ES, Brasil
5- Alert Against the Green Desert Movement, Brasil
6- European Youth For Action
7- Sajida Khan
8- Dennis Brutus
9- Campaign for the Reform of the World Bank
10- Ricardo Carrere, World Rainforest Movement
11- Patrick Bond
12- Larry Lohmann
13- The Corner House
14- Landless Peoples Movement, South Africa
15- Khanya College, South Africa
16- Dudu Mphenyeke
17- CUT - Central Unica dos Trabadores, Rio de Janeiro
18- Dr. Klemens Laschefski, Friends of the Earth, Germany
19- RisingTide, Oxford, UK
20- Concrete-Dok
21- Transnational Institute
22- Carbon Trade Watch
23- XminY Solidarity Funds, The Netherlands
24- Friction Films
25- Forest People's Programme, UK
26- Corporate Europe Observatory, The Netherlands
27- Latin America Centre, Amsterdam
28- ACPO - Associação de Combate aos POPs -
[email protected] /
http://www.acpo.org.br
29- ACPO - associação de COnsciência à Prevenção
Ocupacional -
[email protected] / http://www.acpo.org.br
30- André Messias dos Santos - Zumbah - Rapper e
Bailarino -
[email protected]
31- Associação de Mulheres Unidas da Serra (Women´s
United
Association/Serra/Espirito Santo/Brazil)- [email protected]
32- CADH - Centro de Apoio aos Direitos Humanos -
[email protected]
33- Carlos Lobo - Direção Estadual do PT/ES (Member of
State
Directroy of Workers Party/Espirito Santo/Brazil) -
[email protected]
34- Centro de Direitos Humanos de Teixeira de Freitas
(Human
Rights Centre of Teixeira de Freitas/Bahia/Brazil) -
[email protected]
35- CDDH-Serra - Marta Falqueto (Centre for Defence of
Human
Rights/Serra/Espirito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
36- CEDEFES - Centro de Documentação Eloy Ferreira da
Silva -
www.cedefes.org.br
37- CEPEDES - Centro de Pesquisa P/Desenvolvimento do
Extr. Sul
da Bahia (Research and Development Centre of the Extreme South
of Bahia/Bahia/Brazil) - [email protected]
38- CIMI Equipe ES - Conselho Indigenista Missionário
(Indigenist Missionary Council - Espirito Santo/Brazil) -
[email protected]
39- Coopesca - Rosa Maria Nascimento Miranda -
Cooperativa de
Pesca de Jacaraípe (Fisherpeople coooperative of
Jacaraípe/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
40- CPT - Comissão Pastoral da Terra - Estado de Minas
Gerais
(Pastoral Land Commission of Minas Gerais State/Brazil) -
[email protected]
41- Eduardo de Biase - Vereador PT/São Mateus
(town-councillor
São Mateus/Espirito Santo/Brazil) [email protected]
42- Educafro - Maria da Penha Gaspar Pereira -
Pré-vestibular
alternativo de Carapina (alternative education course of
Carapina/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
43- Escola Família Agrícola de Jaguaré - responsável
Madalena
Tonieri (Family School for Agriculture Jaguaré/Espírito
Santo/Brazil) - tel. +55 27 37691345
44- Escola Família Agrícola de Nestor Gomes - responsável
João
Rodrigues Pinto (Family School for Agriculture Nestor
Gomes/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - tel. +55 27 37630027
45- Espaço Cultural da Paz (Cultural Peace
Centre/Bahia/Brazil)
- Rua da Paz,73/São Lourenço/Teixeira de Freitas(BA)
46- Evanete Negris - Vereador PSB/São Mateus
(town-councillor
São Mateus/Espirito Santo/Brazil - [email protected]
47- FASE/ES - Federação de Órgãos p/ Assistência Social e
Educacional (Federation of Social and Educational
Organizations/Espirito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
48- Federação Sindical e Democrática dos Trabalhadores
nas
Indústrias Metalúrgicas, Mecânicas e de Material Elétrico do
Estado de Minas Gerais e, seus Sindicatos dos Trabalhadores
Metalúrgicos filiados das cidades de (Trade Union and Democratic
Federation of Workers in Metal, Mecanic and Electric materials
Industries of the State of Minas Gerais and the metal trade
unions that are member of this federations of the towns that
follow/Minas Gerais/Brazil): Alfenas, Araxá, Betim, Belo
Horizonte e Contagem, Caeté, Cambuí, Divinópolis, Extrema,
Governador Valadares, Itajubá, Itaúna, João Monlevade, Juiz de
Fora, Lavras, Ouro Preto, Patos de Minas, Pirapora, Pouso
Alegre, Raul Soares, Sabará, Santa Luzia, Timóteo, Várzea da
Palma, Vespasiano, Varginha, Três Marias, e São João Del Rei. -
[email protected]
49- Fórum Estadual de Mulheres/ES (State Forum of
Women/Espírito
Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
50- Geraldo Armando Martins.- STR Curvelo - MG -
[email protected]
51- Helder Gomes, mestre em economia pela UFES
(economist/Espirito Santo/Brazil)- [email protected]
52- Igreja de Confissão Luterana/Brasil - Sínodo do
Espírito
Santo a Belém - (Lutherian Church-Synod of Espirito Santo at
Belém/Brazil) - [email protected]
53- ITAVALE - Instituto dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras
na
Agricultura do Vale do Jequitinhonha - [email protected]
54- Jeffer Castelo Branco - [email protected]
55- Joana Tolentino - auxiliar de pesquisa
CNPq/IPPUR-UFRJ.(Researcher's assistant) -
[email protected]
56- João Batista de Almeida Costa - antropólogo
(anthropologist/Brasília/Brazil) - [email protected]
57- João Batista da Silva - ambientalista
(environmentalist) -
[email protected]
58- Jorge Luiz B. Ferreira - AGB-RJ (Brazilian
Association of
Geographers/Rio de Janeiro/Brazil) [email protected]
59- Koinonia/RJ - Presença Ecumênica e Serviço
(Koinonia/Ecuminic and Service Presence/Rio de Janeiro/Brazil)-
[email protected]
60- Marilda Telles Maracci - Geógrafa -
[email protected]
61- Movimento de Desenvolvimento Rural de Nestor
Gomes/São
Mateus - Paulo Chagas (Movement of Rural Development Nestor
Gomes/Espirito Santo/Brazil) - tel. +55 27 99312546
62- Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos/Regional Leste
I
(National Movement for Human Rights/Easter Region I/Brazil) -
[email protected]
63- MPA- Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores (Movement of
Small
Peasants/ Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
64- MST - Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem
Terra/Espírito
Santo (Movement of Landless Peasants/Espirito Santo/Brazil) -
[email protected]
65- Pastoral Operária Arquidiocese de Vitória - Luzineide
R.F.
Pinto (Church assistence for Workers - Archdiocese of
Vitória/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
66- Paulo César Fernandes - Bailarino -
[email protected]
67- Paulo César Scarim - Geógrafo (Geographer/Espirito
Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
68- Projeto Brasil Sustentável e Democrático/FASE -
[email protected]
69- Recuper Lixo - Joel Fanticelli - Associação de
Catadores de
Materiais Recicláveis (Association of Workers in Recycling of
Materials/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
70- Ricardo Salles de Sá - Cineasta -
[email protected]
71- Sebastião Ribeiro - Advogado Ambientalista
(environmental
lawyer/Espírito Santo/Brazil)- [email protected]
72- Sindicato dos Petroleiros/Espírito Santo (Trade Union
of Oil
Industry Workers/ Espirito Santo/Brazil) -
[email protected]
73- Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de São Mateus e
Jaguaré
(Rural Workers Trade Union of São Mateus and Jaguaré/Espirito
Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
74- Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Medina - Márcio
Pereira - (Rural Workers Trade Union of Medina/Minas
Gerais/Brazil) - [email protected]
75- Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de São Gabriel da
Palha e
Vila Valério (Rural Workers Trade Union of São Gabriel da Palha
and Vila Valério/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
76- Super Coonfex - Marilene Ost Leal - Cooperativa de
Confecção
de José de Anchieta (cooperative of workers with
textile/Serra/Brazil) - [email protected]
77- Valdemar Moraes - vereador PSC/São Mateus
(town-councillor
São Mateus/Espírito Santo/Brazil) - [email protected]
78- Waldo Motta - Poeta - [email protected]