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16th December 2004 deutsche Version... No to genetically modified trees in the Kyoto Protocol! ROBIN WOOD demands a worldwide ban of genetically modified trees Environmental organisation ROBIN WOOD has asked the German Minister of the Environment, Jürgen Trittin, to promote a worldwide ban of genetically modified trees at the climate conference in Buenos Aires. Together with 300 other organisations ROBIN WOOD supports a petition demanding that the UN bans GM trees, which NGOs are currently discussing in Buenos Aires. At their previous conference in Milan (COP 9), the governments which have signed the Kyoto Protocol decided without further discussion to recognise genetically modified trees as so-called carbon sinks and that planting such trees was a contribution to protecting the climate. This means that rather than lowering hazardous emissions the industrial nations could set up plantations with genetically modified trees in the southern countries, which would then be considered a positive action to protect the climate under the "Clean Development" mechanism. ROBIN WOOD clearly opposes this approach and demands the immediate ban of genetically modified trees. "We fear that this will turn into a huge outdoor experiment with unpredictable risks for the biosphere", said Chris Lang, ROBIN WOOD activist and expert of the World Rainforest Movement, reporting from Buenos Aires. "Typical characteristics of genetically modified trees, such as sterility and resistance to insects, could be transmitted to natural forest trees and have a major impact on the ecosystem." Moreover, industrial forest plantations – even without genetically manipulated trees – are not a suitable solution to the climate problem. This development would mainly affect the poorer countries in the south because the land prices for plantations are cheaper there and the trees grow faster, thus binding more carbon dioxide. "Industrial tree plantations have led to ecological disasters in the past, e.g. by lowering the ground water level. They take the land off the locals, who urgently need this land to grow food on. This is why tree plantations in general must not be recognised as climate protecting factors", demands Peter Gerhardt, ROBIN WOOD Expert on Tropical Forests. On the other hand, an effective contribution to protecting the climate could be made if politicians and the industry managed to stop the rapid and climatically disastrous forest destruction in Indonesia and to drastically reduce the industrial nations’ high carbon dioxide emissions. Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. Peter Gerhardt Expert on Tropical Forests, Ph. +49 40 / 380 892 18, tropenwald@robinwood.de Ute Bertrand ROBIN WOOD Press Spokesperson, Ph. +49 40 / 380 892 22, presse@robinwood.de You can find further background information on the web under: Petition for global ban on GM trees: http://www.elonmerkki.net/dyn/appeal "Genetically Modified Trees. The ultimate threat to forests", book by Chris Lang, 2004. Online available at: http://www.wrm.org.uy/subjects/GMTrees/text.html