2015•02•23

Head of the United Nations University’s (UNU) Traditional Knowledge Initiative (TKI), Mr Sam Johnston recently participated in an interview for Bloomberg BNA’s Energy and Climate Change Report regarding the TKI’s work on savanna fire management. The Energy and Climate Report provides current, thorough coverage of clean energy, efficiency, and climate change legislation, regulation, policy, legal developments, and trends in the U.S. and internationally.

During a February 2015 interview with Murray Griffin, Correspondent with Bloomberg BNA, Mr Johnston described UNU’s work which looks at using carbon credits to help cut emissions from savanna wildfires. This type of controlled burning significantly reduces the risk of wildfires, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The interview forms part of a Bloomberg BNA article published online on 23 February 2015 [subscription required with free trial available] which highlights UNU initial work, including a feasibility study, on the concept where indigenous people in the savanna lands of Asia, South America and sub-Saharan Africa could earn potentially carbon credits for conducting low-intensity burns early during the dry season. Mr Johnston comments that indigenous groups, large mining and gas companies and governments have expressed interest in a proposal that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from savanna land wildfires.

An excerpt of the article, available through the Bloomberg site, states “indigenous groups and large mining and gas companies have expressed interest in a proposal that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from savanna land wildfires. UN University expects to finalize by midyear its initial work on the concept, in which indigenous people in the savanna lands of Asia, South America and sub-Saharan Africa could earn carbon credits for conducting low-intensity burns early during the dry season. This type of controlled burns significantly reduces the risk of wildfires, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Sam Johnston, who is leading work on the feasibility study at the Tokyo-based academic and research arm of the UN.”