REDD+

Forest conservation project in Bolivia proves that unless a nation as a whole cuts deforestation, individual carbon offset schemes are worthless.

An international system that enables countries to earn carbon credits by reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) will almost certainly be a prominent feature of whatever post-2012 international climate architecture emerges from ongoing negotiations.

COPENHAGEN – EU leaders meeting in Brussels ground through late night talks in a two day summit to arrive at a figure of € 7.2 billion over the next three years in so-called “fast start” funding for poorer nations and developing countries to adapt to climate change.

While cap-and-trade legislation stalls in the US and Australia, Copenhagen’s limited progress holds back REDD, and the inflexibilities of the Kyoto Protocol’s CDM keeps a lid on reforestation activity, New Zealand is in many ways leading the world in the use of forestry for compliance-based...

"Protecting the world's forests is not a luxury – it is a necessity," said Secretary Vilsack. "This substantial commitment," he said, "is reflective of our recognition that international public finance must play a role in developing countries' efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation."...

German carbon consultancy Forest Carbon Group AG last week took a 30% stake in Canadian project developer ERA Carbon Offsets, and for reasons many will find surprising. Number one on the list: anticipation of growing demand for forestry offsets among German voluntary buyers, who have...

Payments for forest conservation under the proposed REDD mechanism are unlikely to provide a viable economic alternative to oil palm agriculture at current prices. Lian Pin Koh (ETH Zürich) and Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com

The practical challenges of successfully tackling deforestation and restoring forests in developing countries have been highlighted by problems facing an otherwise successful forestry programme in Indonesia. One of the country’s model community forestry projects is now being compromised by...

Last week I was careful to point out that any serious assessment of the LCDS and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Guyana and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway needs to be situated in the broader context of the global negotiations on climate change. Although...