Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)

According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the forestry sector accounts for about 17 per cent of global greenhouse emissions, making it the second largest source after the energy sector. The main cause is deforestation.

(Africa contributes about 20% of this 17%.  However, this was before the latest NASA research on black soot which places black soot (carbon) second in importance to Carbon Dioxide in contributing to climate change.  Black soot(Carbon) is estimated to contribute 20% to the current global climate change.  Black soot is primarily from the burning of fossil fuels and from poorly designed stoves.   This video here explains the role of Black Carbon (soot) in climate change).

Under current trends, tropical forest clearing could release an additional 320 to 477 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2100, an amount equivalent to the carbon release from more than a decade of global fossil fuel combustion.

Given the contribution of deforestation to global greenhouse gas emissions, strategies and incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) have recently emerged as one of the key areas through which countries can fight global warming. Currently, there are a number of proposals on the table on how appropriate incentives could be created for developing countries to curb deforestation and forest degradation.

The UN-REDD Programme

This is as a collaborative initiative between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). They have approximately 58 Million Dollars to implement their aims which are two fold:

• To contribute to the development of capacity for implementing REDD
  

• To support the international dialogue for the inclusion of a REDD mechanism in a post-2012 climate regime.

In March 2009, the joint board released approximately 18 Million Dollars funding that will support action plans to assist the countries concerned prepare for the inclusion of REDD in a new climate deal.

Objective of the REDD capacity funds:

Countries will develop plans on how to maintain their ecosystems through sustainable forest management with the aim of providing environmental and economic benefits to their citizens and communities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

What kind of activities will be supported:

Developing the capacity to put in place baselines from which to measure for emissions from deforestation and forest degradation,

Monitoring programmes,

Cconsultative processes for engaging indigenous peoples and civil society,

Exploring the links to benefits such as biodiversity

Strengthening the capacity of national institutions to address these issues.

Where is REDD working?

There is a recent report by IIED on the working of REDD in Brazil.  The report can be accessed here, but it gives the general picture of almost an utopian REDD success where the author-Virgilio Viana reports of “passing the test with flying colours”.  The report does not aid those seeking to understand how REDD will work in practice but gives a generalised positive assessment of REDD and its probable outcomes if all things are to be “perfect”.

References:

Africa Climate

IIED

IPCC

UNDP

UNEP

UN-REDD Net