Dorjee Sun

Last updated

Dorjee Sun
Bornc. 1977
Sydney, Australia
Nationality Australian
Occupation Social entrepreneur

Dorjee Sun (born 1977) [1] [ failed verification ] is a social entrepreneur based in Singapore. His work for Carbon Conservation was the subject of the international feature documentary The Burning Season in 2008. He is chief executive officer of Bioeconomy as well as co-founder and Senior Advisor to the AirCarbon Exchange (ACX). [2] He formerly was director of Who Gives, Carbon Agro, and Carbon Conservation as well as advisor and early investor in other startups.

Contents

Early life

Sun was born to a Chinese father and a Tibetan mother from Darjeeling in Sydney, Australia. [3] He grew up in northern Sydney and attended North Sydney Boys High School. He graduated from a combined Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Law, and a diploma in Asian studies (Mandarin) in 2001 from the University of New South Wales. During his studies he spent two years on scholarship in Beijing, China, studying Chinese and law at Peking University.

Career

Sun is the founder of a recruitment software company, as well as an award-winning education company that has mentored more than 150,000 students in Sydney and Melbourne. He has been a University of Melbourne Asialink Asia Australia Leader, Youth Chair of the Ethnic Communities Council at both national and state levels, University Law Society president, and as a member of the Education Technology Advisory Board.

Sun's company, Carbon Conservation, developed the Ulu Masen REDD+ project in Aceh, [4] Indonesia, in 2008, along with the Provincial Government of Aceh at the time, aiming to develop 3.3 million carbon credits a year.

Sun was the subject of The Burning Season , [5] which was a Hugh Jackman narrated feature documentary that looks at the problems of deforestation in Indonesia, issues and challenges from the farmer's perspective, the plight of the orangutans, and Sun on his quest to find a business solution. It follows him as he tries to convince potential investors from eBay, Starbucks, and Merrill Lynch to invest in a carbon trading solution that will help avoid deforestation in Indonesia while at the same time provide a living for locals.

In 2009, the African Rainforest Conservancy named a newly discovered species of blue spotted chameleon from the rainforests of Tanzania after Sun. The species was named Kinyongia dorjeesuni. [6] [7] This unique species, which lives in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, is currently consider a nomen nudum , and is pending its formal species description stating those characteristics that are purported to differentiate the taxon. [8]

Time magazine recognised Sun as one of the Heroes of the Environment (2009) for his work as a carbon-trade broker. [9] In April 2009, he was honoured by the African Rainforest Conservancy for his work.

Carbon Conservation Efforts

After the failure of the 2009 COP15 UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen [10] to achieve a market for rainforest carbon credits, the Waxman-Markey Bill under President Obama [11] also failed to be passed, resulting in a market collapse for the demand of rainforest carbon credits. Sun's partner in the effort, former Aceh governor Irwandi, became involved in a fight for his political life, which he lost. [12] The new governor went cold causing the Ulu Masen REDD+ project to come to a stop.

The carbon project area was then under threat after the discovery of a gold deposit within its boundaries, [13] [14] so in 2011, after the failure to gain traction or support from the new governor in the midst of the virtual collapse of the carbon trading market subsequent to the 2008 global financial crisis, Sun tried to continue the carbon project by combining the forest conservation programs with the gold project. [15] He hoped this would ensure the forest carbon project and also secure the highest standards of gold operation. To facilitate this, Carbon Conservation was required to sell 50% of its shares to the Canadian mining company East Asia Minerals Corporation [16] who had the rights to develop the gold project and as a result of this, aimed to develop a "green" mining project which would use carbon and biodiversity offsets and the latest environmentally friendly mining practices in the forest reserve forest reserve. [17] East Asia Minerals Corporation subsequently was not able to commence mining operations due to the inability to fund certain annual payments and other payment obligations. [18] The Sydney Morning Herald has stated that "Environmentalists have accused Sun of allowing the company to improve its chances of gaining government approval by 'greenwashing' the venture." [17] AsienHaus deemed the Ulu Masen REDD+ project, Indonesia as a failure. [19]

Sun has referred to himself as a "pragmatic conservationist" [20] and despite failures and challenges with the still politically uncertain carbon markets, persists in his efforts. In 2016, Sun helped convene the Secretariat for the Fire Free Alliance that checks forest fires & haze in over 200 Indonesian Villages. [21] The Fire Free Village Program (FFVP) expanded across provinces in Indonesia and achieved a number of successes in 2016. [22] According to The Jakarta Post, throughout 2016, there was a 50% drop in forest fires compared to the same period in 2015. [23]

Virgil Capital

Sun met Stefan Qin whilst he was teaching an entrepreneurship course at UNSW. In May 2017. Sun invested in and played "an instrumental role" in fund raising for Virgil Capital, which was founded by Stefan Qin. [24] He acted as a mentor to Qin whilst Qin was studying in UNSW.

4 years later, in 2021, Qin from Virgil Capital was charged with securities fraud and pled guilty to misappropriating US$90 million of investor money. [25] [26] The Australian Financial Review does not suggest that Sun nor Taiyang Zhang, a co-founder, knew about the fraud. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation</span> Conversion of forest to non-forest for human use

Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. About 31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests at present. This is one-third less than the forest cover before the expansion of agriculture, with half of that loss occurring in the last century. Between 15 million to 18 million hectares of forest, an area the size of Bangladesh, are destroyed every year. On average 2,400 trees are cut down each minute. Estimates vary widely as to the extent of deforestation in the tropics. In 2019, nearly a third of the overall tree cover loss, or 3.8 million hectares, occurred within humid tropical primary forests. These are areas of mature rainforest that are especially important for biodiversity and carbon storage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatra</span> Island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands

Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 475,807.63 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainforest</span> Type of forest with high rainfall

Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropical rainforests or temperate rainforests, but other types have been described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical rainforest</span> Forest in areas with heavy rainfall in the tropics

Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests that occur in tropical rainforest climate where there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm. True rainforests are typically found between 10 degrees north and south of the equator ; they are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28-degree latitudes. Tropical rainforests are a type of tropical moist broadleaf forest, that includes the more extensive seasonal tropical forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon offsets and credits</span> Carbon dioxide reduction scheme

Carbon offsetting is a carbon trading mechanism that allows entities such as governments or businesses to compensate for (i.e. “offset”) their greenhouse gas emissions. It works by supporting projects that reduce, avoid, or remove emissions elsewhere. In other words, carbon offsets work by offsetting emissions through investments in emission reduction projects. When an entity invests in a carbon offsetting program, it receives carbon credits. These "tokens" are then used to account for net climate benefits from one entity to another. A carbon credit or offset credit can be bought or sold after certification by a government or independent certification body. One carbon offset or credit represents a reduction, avoidance or removal of one tonne of carbon dioxide or its carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peat swamp forest</span> Tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing

Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunung Leuser National Park</span> National park in Sumatra, Indonesia

Gunung Leuser National Park is a national park covering 7,927 km2 in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, straddling the border of Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, a fourth portion and three-fourths portion, respectively. The national park, settled in the Barisan mountain range, is named after Mount Leuser (3,119 m), and protects a wide range of ecosystems. An orangutan sanctuary at Bukit Lawang is located within the park. Together with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks, it forms a World Heritage Site, the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo peat swamp forests</span> Ecoregion in Borneo

The Borneo peat swamp forests ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, are on the island of Borneo, which is divided between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irwandi Yusuf</span> Indonesian politician

Irwandi Yusuf is an Indonesian politician who was the governor of Aceh. He was re-elected Governor in early 2017 after serving an earlier term between 2006 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia Pulp & Paper</span> Indonesian pulp and paper company

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) is an Indonesian pulp and paper company based in Jakarta, Indonesia. One of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world, it was founded as Tjiwi Kimia by Eka Tjipta Widjaja in 1972. Asia Pulp & Paper is a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Group and was officially formed in 1994 when Sinar combined its paper and pulp operations from Tjiwi Kimia and PT Inda Kiat Pulp & Paper.

The Paiter, also known as Suruí, Suruí do Jiparaná, and Suruí de Rondônia, are an indigenous people of Brazil, who live in ten villages near the Mato Grosso–Rondônia border. They are farmers, who cultivate coffee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings</span> Singapore pulp and paper mill and fibre plantation operator

Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited, or APRIL, is a developer of fibre plantations and the owner of one of the world's largest pulp and paper mills with operations mainly in Indonesia and China. APRIL mainly produces bleached hardwood kraft pulp and uncoated, wood-free paper, including its Paperone brand of office paper. Founded in 1993, APRIL is managed by Royal Golden Eagle and owned by Indonesian business man Sukanto Tanoto living in Singapore. Royal Golden Eagle also manages companies in paper, palm oil, construction, and energy business sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leuser Ecosystem</span>

The Leuser Ecosystem is an area of forest located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Covering more than 2.6 million hectares it is one of the richest expanses of tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia and is the last place on earth where the Sumatran elephant, rhino, tiger and orangutan are found within one area. It has one of the world's richest yet least-known forest systems, and its vegetation is an important source of Earth's oxygen. Leuser also possesses more lowland rainforest than the rest of Sumatra combined and supports some of the last viable populations of tiger, rhino, orangutan and elephant.

<i>The Burning Season</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Cathy Henkel

The Burning Season is a documentary about the burning of rainforests in Indonesia which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. The main characters featured in the film are: Dorjee Sun from Australia; Achmadi, a small-scale palm oil farmer from Jambi province in Indonesia; and Lone Drøscher Nielsen, a Danish conservationist based in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation in Indonesia</span>

Deforestation in Indonesia involves the long-term loss of forests and foliage across much of the country; it has had massive environmental and social impacts. Indonesia is home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world and ranks third in number of species behind Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) is a partnership consisting of Conservation International, CARE, The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Alliance, and the Wildlife Conservation Society that is primarily active in the field of land management activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation in Borneo</span> Deforestation

Deforestation in Borneo has taken place on an industrial scale since the 1960s. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered by dense tropical and subtropical rainforests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation in Papua New Guinea</span>

Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive and in recent decades from 2001 to 2020, Papua New Guinea (PNG) lost 1.57Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 3.7% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.15Gt of CO₂e emissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation and climate change</span> Relationship between deforestation and global warming

Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change, and climate change affects the health of forests. Land use change, especially in the form of deforestation, is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, after the burning of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases are emitted from deforestation during the burning of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon. Global models and national greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions. As of 2019, deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are accelerating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Protected area in eastern Cambodia

Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary is a 2,926.9 km2 (1,130.1 sq mi) protected area of mixed seasonal tropical forest in eastern Cambodia, located in Mondulkiri and Kratié provinces. The area was first established as Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in 2002, later becoming Seima Protection Forest in 2009, finally becoming Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016. The site is of national, regional, and global importance for a range of biodiversity, with more than 950 species recorded within the protected area. It is also the ancestral and contemporary home of a large number of the Bunong ethnic group.

References

  1. ↑ Catalogue search (Science of student success), National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "AirCarbon Exchange". ACX.
  3. ↑ Walker, Cameron (20 June 2008). "Dorjee Sun: Rockin' for REDD!". Ecosystem Marketplace. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "Ulu Masen REDD+ initiative, Aceh, Indonesia". REDD+ Case Book.
  5. ↑ "Burning Season: Full Episode". PBS.org.
  6. ↑ New chameleon species named after carbon conservation pioneer, Mongabay , published on 21 April 2009, accessed on 31 December 2011
  7. ↑ Asia 21 Fellows - Class 2011, Asia Society , accessed on 31 December 2011
  8. ↑ "The Code Online | International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature". www.iczn.org.
  9. ↑ "Heroes of the Environment 2009", Bryan Walsh, Time , published on 22 September 2009, accessed on 31 December 2011
  10. ↑ "Low targets, goals dropped: Copenhagen ends in failure". the Guardian. 19 December 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Waxman-Markey Short Summary". Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Credits lost in tangle of Aceh's forest". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "East Asia Minerals Shifting Gears at Miwah Gold Property". Proactive Investors. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "A Technical Report on Exploration and Resource Estimation of the Miwah Project, Sumatra, Indonesia" (PDF). Baru Gold. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Colquhoun, Steve (31 May 2013). "The business of saving the planet". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "East Asia Minerals Announces Acquisition of 50% of Carbon Conservation Pty Ltd". GlobalNewsWire. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  17. 1 2 Bachelard, Michael (9 June 2012). "Credits lost in tangle of Aceh's forest". The Sydney Morning Herald .
  18. ↑ "East Asia Provides Update on Miwah Gold Project". Baru Gold. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Lang, Chris (March 2016). "REDDheads: The people behind REDD and the climate scam in Southeast Asia" (PDF). Stiftung Asienhaus.
  20. ↑ Walker, Cameron (20 June 2008). "Dorjee Sun: Rockin' for REDD!". Ecosystem Marketplace. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "Fire Free Alliance Checks Forest Fire & Haze in Over 200 Indonesian Villages". Inside RGE. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Towards a Fire Free Future – Carbon Conservation Reviews APRIL's Fire Free Village Programme". April Dialog. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Fire Free Alliance claims to have dramatically reduced forest fires in Sumatra since 2015". 16 March 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "From UNSW to Silicon Valley: young entrepreneur attracts major funding". Australian Fintech. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Founder Of $90 Million Cryptocurrency Hedge Fund Charged With Securities Fraud And Pleads Guilty In Federal Court". www.justice.gov. 4 February 2021.
  26. ↑ "Stefan He Qin's Sentencing Submission" (PDF). p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "'Life was a video game': crypto fraudster sentenced". Australian Financial Review. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
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