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The following media release is issued by Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong on 18 February 2008:
AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY CHOSEN FOR CLINTON CLIMATE PROJECT
Australian technology will now be at the forefront of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, has announced a new partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative to develop global carbon monitoring system that can assist in recognising sustainable forest management and reforestation within global carbon markets.
“I am very pleased that following a global search of forest carbon measurement systems, the Clinton Climate Initiative selected Australia’s National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) as the platform for a global roll-out in developing countries.”
“Australia has a strong international reputation for the quality of its science and for its technological innovation. This project represents another example of Australians being a part of the climate change solution.”
Around 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation. Since the beginning of work on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, Australia has placed importance on the role of land systems such as forests in the response to climate change.
A key part of the UN climate conference in Bali last December was an agreement to help developing countries reduce deforestation and achieve sustainable forest management.
The Australian Government and the Clinton Climate Initiative will be joined by many other partners in adapting Australia’s system to meet the individual needs of developing countries.
“While Australia is a trail-blazer in modern forest carbon measurement systems, a global application of this kind requires an international partnership to harness world-wide capabilities.
“This is where Australia is taking a constructive role in shaping a global solution to the challenges presented by climate change.”
Australia’s international activities in this area include support for Indonesia in the development of their forest monitoring system and a pilot project in provincial China.
The NCAS uses a highly sophisticated system involving remote sensing, information from thousands of satellite images, greenhouse gas accounting methods, and modelling of changes in our environment to monitor and account for emissions from land-based sectors. The remote sensing interpretation methods were largely developed by CSIRO.
The Clinton Climate Initiative was formed in 2006 by the William J. Clinton Foundation, which aims to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence.
Media Contact: Geraldine Capp (02) 6277 7920