Walhi presses for exclusion of carbon brokers from negotiations

"If carbon brokers and traders act as negotiators, there will be a scandal because they will only think of forest trade," Walhi Executive Director Khalid Muhammad said on the sidelines of a "climate justice" rally here on Wednesday.

Walhi was looking into who currently acted as carbon brokers, he said adding some of them were delegates to the UNFCCC or close to chief of the Indonesian delegation Emil Salim and Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar.

The carbon traders and brokers played a dominant role in fixing the selling prices of carbon dioxide, he said.

It was only proper if the Indonesian people who were suffering the impact of carbon gas emissions fixed the prices, he said.

"The carbon traders are actively struggling for the adoption of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. Eight of nine CDM projects were signed yesterday (Dec 4) involving a total amount of US$500 million. Their other struggle is getting a so-called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) program approved," he said.