Isramart : City promotes carbon credit option

Isramart news:
Beijing is trying to promote the concept of carbon credit among ordinary residents by making it an alternative to the annual voluntary tree planting program, but many are still unaware of the option.

The idea is that people can offset the carbon dioxide they generate by purchasing carbon credits. The money goes to a special fund with the Green Carbon Fund which then uses the money to plant and manage a forest in Badaling, according to the Municipal Bureau of Forestry and Parks. Established in 2008, the foundation has so far accumulated 2.3 million yuan ($340,000) from companies and individuals.

Beijingers used to donate money to their companies around the tree-planting day in March, and their companies used the money to buy saplings and plant them in Inner Mongolia or in Beijing's suburban areas.

However, officials at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Forestry and Parks say that most companies focus on the planting of saplings but that they do not get maintained or cared for afterward. The bureau also said that the carbon credit policy would change the situation in which individuals and companies pay for the trees but then neglect to take care of them.

According to Dong Ruilong, chief of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Forestry and Parks, 4,600 square kilometers of ecological forests in the city are poorly managed.

"Through proper adjustment, these forests can help absorb an additional 0.36 tons of carbon dioxide every year," said Dong.

"If Beijingers purchase carbon credits for the fund, we would hire those who really know how to plant and take care of trees in order to better manage the forests," said Dong.

"For every 1,000 yuan ($147) people donate, we can build a forest covering 333 square meters, which can help absorb approximately 5.6 tons of carbon dioxide in 20 years," said Dong.

Many support the new appeal. Sabrina Yang works with a company that organizes do-nation activities around Tree- Planting Day every March. "I usually donate 30 or 60 yuan ($4.39 to $ 8.79) for one or two saplings during those activities. But I've never seen the trees."
Yang told the Global Times that the medium did not matter, as long as the money gets where it needs to be. But not everyone supports the new proposal. "I don't know how they'll manage the money if I make a donation," said Jin Wei, a Beijing resident.

"Most of the donors have a background in forestry or related fields. The general public is still not familiar with carbon credit," said a staff member at the Green Carbon Fund.

"It's a very complicated and specialized concept. I have some background in this so I understand it," said Yu Ling, 36, the first in Beijing to buy carbon credit. In December 2007, the pioneer donated 1,200 yuan ($175.8) at a forestry conference to compensate for her carbon emissions.

Yu told the Global Times that very few of her friends donate money in order to offset their own carbon emissions, and she herself has not bought any carbon credit since 2007.

Earlier last year, the bureau announced that they will install 120 terminals in popular areas such as malls and libraries by early 2010 so that people can learn about carbon credit and purchase it more conveniently.

Pan Jiahua, director of the Center for Urban Development and Environment at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, questioned the effectiveness of the government's efforts.

"It's still a sector monopolized by the government," said Pan, adding that only when the sector is open to all market players will things permanently and efficiently change for the better.