Hurdles remain even if climate deal in Copenhagen is reached

For Indonesian farmers, burning down rain forests is the cheapest and fastest way to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations. The millions of acres (hectares) they burn every year has made their Southeast Asian nation the world's third-largest producer of greenhouse gases. And, environmentalists warn, the powerful forestry and agricultural industry will likely stymie any efforts to crack down. As difficult as it may be to hammer out a global climate deal in Copenhagen, implementing one could prove even harder. "But I think everybody has yet to realize how difficult this is going to be," said Frances Seymour, director-general of the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research.

The story also appeared in LivingGreenSA.com, Sulekha.com, Fiji Times Online, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Columbus Dispatch.