Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday he would put together a group of the world’s most important rainforest countries in order to fight deforestation.
The group, initiated “as part of our efforts to reach a binding climate agreement in Mexico in 2010,” will consist of “the most important rainforest countries, among them Brazil, Indonesia, Guyana, Gabon, Papua New Guinea and others,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
“Developing countries represent 17 percent of the total emission of greenhouse gases,” he said, adding “efforts related to rainforests may lead to one third of the emission cuts needed by 2020.”
Norway, one of the world’s leading oil and gas exporters, has made the fight against deforestation one of its top climate change priorities.
The Scandinavian, non-EU country argued Tuesday that reducing deforestation may lead to the “largest, quickest and cheapest cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.”
