International Update Volume 43, Issue 12
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<p>A Toronto-based mining company said that it was working closely with the Indonesia government to remove the protected status of around 1.6 million hectares of forest on the Sumatra island. According to a group of Indonesian environmentalists, East Asia Minerals Corporation has hired Fadel Muhammad, former Golkar Deputy Chairman, to help convince the Aceh government to re-zone sections of the forest for a gold mine. The re-zoning proposal would include close to a million hectares for mining, over 400,000 for logging, and over 250,000 for oil palm plantations.

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<p>A federal court suspended the use of the military during research on the São Luíz do Tapajós Dam in the Amazon. The government brought in police and military personnel to halt indigenous protests from groups living along the Tapajós, but a judge decreed that such groups must give free, prior, and informed consent before further studies on the dam.

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<p>The European Parliament rejected a plan last week that would have cut the surplus of carbon allowances being traded after opponents claimed it would cause a rise in energy costs. The plan, referred to as "backloading," was proposed to fight the sinking cost of carbon permits, dipping below $6.50 a ton. In an effort to push up prices, the European Commission proposed to withhold around 900 million permits over the next few years, hoping that the scarcity would drive up prices.

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