The Israelis saving the rainforests

A company owned by Israeli entrepreneurs will manage preservation of tropical rainforests of the Central African Republic. The contract between that country and Carbon Essence is for 25 years, during which the country will receive generous monetary incentives for preserving the rainforests, and will introduce measures to halt deforestation.

Carbon Essence, founded in 2009 and registered in London, is owned by Brigadier General (Res.) Yitzhak Tidhar, formerly head of the IDF's prisoners and missing soldiers department, and Terry Julius, and deals in financing of environmental projects. The company will run projects for the government of the Central African Republic that will eventually bring it €35-80 million a year.

On the basis of strict protection of its forests by the Central African Republic, industrial concerns that cause pollution will buy rights from it to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Under international treaties aimed at cutting emissions through tough regulation, a company that causes emissions will have to pay a levy for every tonne of carbon dioxide. These emission are meant to offset the expenditure of protecting the rainforests, with the entity that protects the disappearing natural resource being paid by the polluter. Carbon Essence says that the large amounts of money that will flow to the country will serve it to improve the quality of life of its population, through construction of hospitals, development of education and welfare services, infrastructure, modern agriculture, and so forth.