Kuala Belait - Brunei's Heart of Borneo (HoB) will be the strongest global brand of the 21st century, said the British High Commissioner to Brunei Robert Fenn yesterday.

"Brunei has been twice blessed, it has had the oil and gas reserves under the sea and when they turn around and look inland, they will discover that they have something just as precious in the rainforest," he said during the Chevening Alumni Dinner and brainstorming session on climate change held at his residence last night.

The high commissioner told The Brunei Times that the Sultanate had always known of the importance of the rainforest, but the world around Brunei had changed and they now value the rainforest much more than before.

"So the person who controls the brand, that is the Heart of Borneo, can call the shots. It is a very powerful position for Brunei to be in, not because you have the biggest bit but because you got the best and most pristine bit which you had the luxury to leave untouched," he said.

"When we are talking about branding, it is not about quantity but the power of an idea and this idea is connected with the fact that the rainforest in Borneo is the single most effective way of trapping carbon dioxide, taking it out of the air and putting it underground in the peat domes and the mot of trees," said Fenn, adding that this was the most natural and strongest engine on the planet for fighting climate change.

He explained that this would be a strong pulling factor in enticing Foreign Direct Investment to the country. "There are plenty of international companies that would like operate in Brunei if that would give them an association with the Heart of Borneo brand," he said.

Fenn added that the same applies to researchers hoping to have their paper citing the initiative. "Brunei has to just cash in and generate an income stream by not cutting down trees," he said.

He explained that while this would not surpass oil and gas in terms of revenue, Brunei would be able to put itself on the map if the Sultanate moves further and faster to get control of this brand by being the first country to generate revenue from such an initiative.

"The Japanese ambassador has a dream of those Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ships sailing from Kuala Belait to Osaka full of LNG and corning back empty should instead come back with carbon dioxide," he said.

"Shell, who has the technology and the strata identified and is actually already pumping gas down (into the ground) to drive out the oil, should pump this Japanese carbon dioxide underground. This is a very beautiful perpetual motion machine, unfortunately it is not very economical so it will have to be subsidised," he added.

Fenn also spoke on Brunei's potential role as an advocate for regional initiatives to fight climate change.

He said that Southeast Asia as a whole needs to confront climate change and that Brunei, being a friend of everyone in the region, can establish itself as an advocate without others thinking that it is in it for a particular advantage.

"I would like to see Brunei, domestically, living in a way consistent with the Heart of Borneo brand while advocating this internationally," he said.

Last night's dinner and brainstorming session, attended by approximately 25 people, mostly Chevening scholars, provided an informal opportunity for the participants to discuss the different issues and proposals of how Bruneians can further contribute in the battle against climate change.

Issues raised included how few people in Brunei use reusable bags as well as the issues of recycling and energy conservation.

During the evening, Sarah Clements, the British High Commission's Entry Clearance Assistant and "Green Champion", also delivered a briefing on the initiatives that the high commission has taken to aid the environmental cause.--