TAKE THE WORLD'S FORESTS OFF THE WTO CHOPPING BLOCK November 1999

In the time it takes you to read this Action Alert, an area of rainforest the size of 50 city blocks will have fallen to chain saws, bulldozers and flames. Now a new international trade agreement threatens to accelerate the destruction. You can help to stop it.

The 134 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will meet in Seattle, USA from 30 November to 3 December 1999 to work on new international trade agreements. These agreements could dramatically undermine our ability to protect the world's last forests unless we take action now.

The WTO, established in 1995, facilitates trade negotiations, administers trade agreements, settles trade disputes and monitors trade policies of member nations. Unlike most international bodies, the WTO has the legal authority to require nations to comply with its agreements or face costly economic penalties.

WTO agreements are drawn up by the governments of member states. Many of those governments are heavily influenced by large corporations who want to speed up international trade as a way to increase their profits. The WTO has acquired broad powers to increase trade, often at the cost of environmental standards, local economies or human rights.

On the table in Seattle is a package of measures being promoted by different countries aiming to reduce or eliminate barriers to the trade in forest products. Citizen groups following the talks call these measures the "Global Free Logging Agreement."

One measure, called the "Advanced Tariff Liberalisation" initiative, would eliminate all border tariffs on wood products. The forest industry predicts that this alone could increase consumption of wood products by 3 to 4%—bad news for the world's forests. Some governments are also pressing for removal of "non-tariff" barriers to trade. This would put at risk, among other things: raw log export bans which help to slow deforestation and provide more local jobs; eco-labeling policies which require certified wood products to meet high standards of sustainable harvesting; and laws requiring that government agencies buy only sustainably harvested wood products.

Nearly one-half of the world's original forest cover is gone. The forests contain a richer diversity of species than any other part of our planet. Governments need to hear from citizens that promoting trade at the cost of losing our last great forests is unacceptable.
What You Can Do:

Please contact your President or Prime Minister, or one or more of your representatives in your parliament or congress. Urge them to see that your government calls for the removal of wood products from the agenda in Seattle - and in subsequent WTO negotiations - until:

    * an independent assessment is carried out of existing WTO agreements for their impact on forests and the diversity of species.

    * existing WTO agreements are reformed to improve the protection of forests and the environment.

Please act now. If enough of us speak out together, we can make a difference for the future of our planet.