Op Ed: Fighting global warming with trees
By Jeff Masarjian

Providence Journal
March 3, 2007

WATERTOWN, Mass.–With the recent U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change report, the question we all face has become even clearer:
What should we do to reverse the effects of increasing temperatures? Uniform
emissions standards may help, but are best suited for countries with vast
resources. Is there a better path forward, especially for developing
nations?

Yes, the answer is micro-enterprise. For example, in Kenya, Wangari Maathai’
s Greenbelt Movement helps local communities learn to run micro-businesses,
saving forests and improving standards of living. Other non-governmental
organizations employ similar on-the-ground, community-based tactics,
yielding tremendous results. In Haiti, Sun Ovens International trains
villagers to operate bakeries using solar power instead of coals made from
wood.

Similarly, we at Armenia Tree Project (ATP) are implementing two closely
linked micro-enterprise and alternative natural-gas initiatives. To address
Armenia’s environmental and economic challenges, we have established
micro-enterprise tree nurseries in the backyards of over 330
families – leading to both the doubling of household incomes and producing
250,000 seedlings each season to replenish the forests.

Deforestation, in fact, is the second leading contributor to global
warming – making planting trees and conserving forests one of the most
important steps to be taken in the developing world. Trees absorb and `sink’
carbon from the atmosphere and produce oxygen – reducing the impact of
emissions from burning fossil fuel – leading to cleansing rain, cooler
temperatures, and preventing drought, famine and disease.

As an extension of our program, in the next year ATP plans to create a
matching fund through which the villagers can invest part of their profits
in extending natural-gas lines to their homes, thereby reducing their need
for forest fuel.

Also worth noting, in Brazil, Suzana Machado Padua’s Instituto Ipe is
working in Nazaré Paulista, a relatively impoverished area that borders the
coastal forest and is a major water source for São Paulo. There, Instituto
Ipe is establishing deep roots through micro enterprises that conserve
forests and protect wildlife while preserving traditional agricultural
activities, the key to programs with true staying power and long-term
impact.

Environmental crises in poor nations demand a micro approach that addresses
the two starkest problems in the developing world: poverty and
deforestation. This means working at the local level to teach the rural poor
energy alternatives and provide practical solutions to reduce their
over-reliance on wood for fuel. NGOs are leading the way, showing that
modest investment and the right educational programs can produce high social
and economic returns.

If we are truly serious about taking action on climate change, we must
address developing economies – village by village.

Jeff Masarjian is executive director of the Armenia Tree Project.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress