DespejanDo el aire

The report "DespejanDo el aire" argues that carbon trading is an irresponsible and ineffective solution to climate change. It proposes a comprehensive package of alternatives: investing US$100 billion annually in renewables via feed-in tariffs, adopting sustainable small-scale agriculture, implementing common industrial technology standards, and protecting forests by addressing demand for commodities. To fund these actions, it suggests generating over US$420 billion annually through a global financial transaction tax, combating tax evasion, reorienting fossil fuel subsidies, and issuing new IMF Special Drawing Rights.

• The report argues that carbon trading is an ineffective and dangerous tool for addressing climate change, claiming it diverts attention from more viable solutions and unfairly burdens developing nations. It asserts that the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) has failed to drive emissions reductions at the necessary pace and that carbon offsets allow developed countries to avoid their own reduction responsibilities.
• To mitigate climate change in the energy sector, the document proposes a global program of feed-in tariffs or premiums with an annual investment of US$100 billion over 15 years to make renewable technologies universally accessible. It also suggests stricter energy efficiency regulations and progressive carbon and energy taxes to reduce excessive consumption.
• The report advocates for a transition to small-scale, sustainable agriculture to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering fossil fuel use and increasing carbon storage in plants and soils. It specifically calls for ending the excessive consumption of meat and dairy and stopping the use of arable land for biofuels.
• Addressing deforestation requires tackling the demand for biofuels, meat, and forest products in consuming countries, while improving forest governance and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The report warns that REDD mechanisms may be used as carbon offsets, potentially leading to more deforestation and failing to protect natural forests.
• For industrial processes, the report suggests an international agreement on common standards for the use of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) to prevent 'carbon leakage' and the relocation of industries to countries with weaker regulations. This would require flexible intellectual property rights to ensure technology transfer to developing countries.
• The document proposes several financial mechanisms to generate at least US$420 billion annually in new and additional climate financing for developing countries. These include a global Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) to generate US$400 billion (with US$100 billion for climate), combating tax evasion (estimated at €236-266 billion in Europe in 2009), and reorienting fossil fuel subsidies (estimated at US$700 billion annually).
• Additional financing sources proposed include the issuance of new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) by the IMF at approximately US$100 billion annually and the implementation of carbon and energy taxes. A specific proposal for an international aviation tax could generate an additional US$10 billion annually.
• The report establishes key principles for climate financing, stating it must be provided as grants rather than loans to avoid increasing the debt of developing nations. It emphasizes that public funding should come first and that financing should be new and additional to existing official development assistance.

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} }