Greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation in tropical developing countries have been estimated to contribute up to 20% of global emissions. Reducing emissions in this area will need to be a major part of international policies to address climate change. As a result of this, and other factors, such as the potential cost effectiveness of reductions in this sector, 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+)' has become an important item in international climate negotations which are ongoing under the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
At the 2007 UNFCCC conference in Bali, a process was initiated to find a way to incorporate REDD+ in a future global climate change agreement. Since then, a relatively advanced outline of the broad principles of using international policies to achieve REDD+ has been developed at the 2009 UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen. However, a lack of progress in the wider UNFCCC negotiations, combined with some outstanding issues on the details of REDD+, mean that an international REDD+ framework does not yet exist. The debate will continue in Cancun in 2010.
REDD-net has been following the REDD+ negotiations, focusing on what some of the implications of discussions might be at national and local levels. You can find some of our analysis below, most recently looking at the outcomes of Copenhagen.
Theme:
International Negotiations
Featured News & Resources
Reading between the lines – what the Durban text means for REDD+ in 2012
William McFarland, ODI's acting REDDnet coordinator, uses the post-Durban calm to reflect on what we learned about the future of REDD+ and effort is need to keep momentum going.
REDD-net side event at COP17 (Durban): Synergies and tradeoffs between mitigation and adaptation, the case of forests
Forests are managed for mitigation (REDD+) and adaptation goals. This event focused on the synergies and tradeoffs of achieving these goals, focusing on experiences of national policy and local implementation in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Presentations from the event can be found here.
REDD+ after Copenhagen: what does it mean on the ground?
This summary considers the outcome of the COP15 negotiations, focusing on the status of the REDD-plus provisions and what they may mean in terms of the socio-economic implications of REDD-plus and the effective implementation of activities on the ground.
Carbon rights in REDD+: towards a common understanding - summary of Cancun event Dec 2010
This four page summary of an event on carbon rights in REDD+ at Cancun (4 December 2010) includes information on how carbon rights can be understood in a REDD+ context and gives insights on the interpretation of carbon rights in Costa Rica, Ghana and the Philippines.