DespejanDo el aire

The report critiques carbon trading as a 'risky, irresponsible and dangerous' tool that diverts attention from viable solutions. It proposes a comprehensive package of alternatives: investing US$100 billion annually in renewable energy feed-in tariffs, transitioning to small-scale sustainable agriculture, protecting forests by addressing drivers like agrofuels, and implementing international industrial standards for the 'best available technologies'. For climate finance, it suggests a combination of a global financial transaction tax, combating tax evasion, redirecting fossil fuel subsidies, issuing Special Drawing Rights, and implementing carbon and energy taxes, which could collectively provide at least US$420 billion annually for developing nations.

• Carbon trading is characterized as an unreliable tool that fails to drive emissions reductions at the necessary pace, citing the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a failure in helping Europe meet its quota.
• The report argues that carbon trading unfairly shifts the burden of mitigation from developed to developing nations and undermines the equitable distribution of the remaining global carbon budget.
• To make renewable energy the global default, the document proposes a worldwide program of feed-in tariffs or premiums with an annual investment of US$100 billion over 15 years to reduce technology costs.
• Sustainable small-scale agriculture is presented as a way to drastically reduce global emissions by lowering fossil fuel use and increasing carbon storage in plants and soils, while calling for a reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy.
• Addressing deforestation requires tackling primary drivers such as the demand for agrofuels, meat, and forest products, alongside protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and expanding community forest governance.
• To prevent 'carbon leakage' in the industrial sector, the report advocates for an international agreement on common standards for the 'best available technologies' and the flexibility of intellectual property rights.
• A proposed global financial transaction tax (FTT) on cross-border transactions could generate US$400 billion in additional public revenue, with US$100 billion earmarked for climate finance.
• Combating tax evasion in developed countries is identified as a major funding source; for example, evasion in Europe was estimated at 2% to 2.25% of its GDP, or €236-266 billion in 2009.
• The report suggests redirecting global fossil fuel subsidies, estimated at approximately US$700 billion annually, particularly those benefiting producers in the North.
• The issuance of new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) by the IMF, approximately US$100 billion annually, is proposed as a way to provide climate finance without triggering inflation.
• Carbon and energy taxes in the EU and USA, combined with an international aviation tax, could generate significant funds, with a conservative total estimate of US$420 billion annually from all proposed financial solutions for developing countries.

APA

clifton, S.-J. (2010). DespejanDo el aire. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/despejando_el_aire_resumen.pdf

Chicago

clifton, sarah-jayne. DespejanDo el aire. Friends of the Earth International, 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/despejando_el_aire_resumen.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=clifton |first1=sarah-jayne |title=DespejanDo el aire |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=November 2010 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/despejando_el_aire_resumen.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clifton2010despejando, author = {clifton, sarah-jayne}, title = {{DespejanDo el aire}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/despejando_el_aire_resumen.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }