REDD-Monitor’s round-up of the week’s news on forests, the climate crisis, REDD, and natural climate solutions. For regular updates, follow @reddmonitor on Twitter.
23 December 2019
What did we learn from COP25?
By Shahzada Ahmad and
José Domínguez Abascal, World Economic Forum, 23 December 2019
It is the time of year when we celebrate the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which this year has reached a marvellous milestone: its silver jubilee (COP25).
The conference was organized and hosted by the governments of Spain and Chile. Both countries boast world-class resources for renewables and are harvesting the opportunity to build-out their renewable portfolios over the coming decades.
#vlogging4forests: youth advocating for forests
UN environment programme, 23 December 2019
From the Climate Action Summit in New York to UNFCCC COP25 in Madrid, Oluwaseun Adekugbe (Nigeria), Trang Le (Viet Nam) and Daniel Guerra (Costa Rica) from the International Forestry Students’ Association have been #vlogging4forests for the UN-REDD Programme. As youth are increasingly taking the lead in voicing the urgency for climate action, and youth climate movements around the world are growing exponentially, the UN-REDD Programme joined forces with the International Forestry Students’ Association to give forestry students a platform to share their views, ideas and stories on forest protection. At the same time, it was an occasion for the students to learn more about REDD+, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) and how to use social media for advocacy.
[India] Best of 2019: Grow bamboo, capture carbon
By Hiren Kumar Bose, India Climate Dialogue, 23 December 2019
When plans are drawn up to capture carbon dioxide from the air by increasing India’s forest cover, the native bamboo that is found in profusion across the country, is often ignored. But now, a body of evidence is emerging that shows bamboo captures captures carbon quickly, while it also rapidly rejuvenates degraded lands, restoring soil fertility.
24 December 2019
COP25: UNEP’s perspective
UN environment programme, 24 December 2019
More than 190 nations, from the United States, China and European Union members to the smallest island states, were represented at the December 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as “COP 25” to discuss, reach agreements and to advance climate action. A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) delegation was in Madrid as part of its ongoing work to help the world transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future.
Was Madrid a COP-Out? Assessing COP25, with Nathaniel Keohane
By Nathaniel Keohane, Daniel Raimi, and Elizabeth Wason, Resources, 24 December 2019
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Nathaniel Keohane, senior vice president for climate at Environmental Defense Fund and a former special assistant for energy and environment in the Obama administration. Keohane assesses the outcomes of this year’s annual international climate negotiations, otherwise known as COP25. He provides an overview of the goals of the conference; whether those goals were achieved; and several other issues, including conference protests, the role of the US delegation, and what to look for at next year’s COP26.
How to Help Brazilian Farmers Save the Amazon
By Daniel Nepstad, The New York Times, 24 December 2019
When I moved to the Amazon “Wild West” town of Paragominas in northern Brazil in 1984 as a young scientist studying forest recovery on abandoned pastures, I expected a town filled with bandits and land grabbers. Instead, what I mostly found were courageous, hard-working families from across Brazil who had come to the rugged town of sawmills, cattle ranches and smallholder settlements to improve their lot in life.
25 December 2019
Valparaíso fires: Dozens of homes destroyed in Chilean city
BBC News, 25 December 2019
At least 150 houses have been destroyed by fast-moving woodland fires in the Chilean city of Valparaíso.
The fires, which spread through the Rocuant and San Roque hills, reached two poor residential areas and were still burning on Christmas Day. There have been no reports of any casualties.
26 December 2019
The Key to Solving the Climate Crisis Is Beneath Our Feet
By Ellen Brown, Common Dreams, 26 December 2019
The Green New Deal resolution that was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in February hit a wall in the Senate, where it was called unrealistic and unaffordable. In a Washington Post article titled “The Green New Deal Sets Us Up for Failure. We Need a Better Approach,” former Colorado governor and Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper framed the problem like this:
“The resolution sets unachievable goals. We do not yet have the technology needed to reach “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” in 10 years. That’s why many wind and solar companies don’t support it. There is no clean substitute for jet fuel. Electric vehicles are growing quickly, yet are still in their infancy. Manufacturing industries such as steel and chemicals, which account for almost as much carbon emissions as transportation, are even harder to decarbonize.”
Indonesia fails to step up its game on climate crisis
By Kharishar Kahfi, The Jakarta Post, 26 December 2019
The 25th United Nations Climate Change conference, known as COP25, in Madrid, Spain, ended earlier this month in vain.
The conference’s tagline was Tiempo de actuar (time to act). Ironically, the majority of over 200 participating countries, including Indonesia, failed to take real action to tackle the climate crisis.
27 December 2019
Amazon fires wreak new level of havoc on surroundings
By Burak Bir, AA, 27 December 2019
The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest — the “lungs of the earth”– by wildfires is untold destruction, not just for the Amazon but for the entire planet, according to the head of a nonprofit environmental group.
“The total deforestation recorded from January to November was 8,934 square kilometers [2.2 million acres], 83% more than in the same period of 2018 and an area almost the size of Puerto Rico,” Christian Poirier, the program director of Amazon Watch, told Anadolu Agency.
2019 Was The Year The World Burned
By Laura Paddison, HuffPost, 27 December 2019
Australia: Fires have been raging across the country killing nine people since September, destroying about 1,000 homes and burning more than 12 million acres.
As the country experiences a heat wave — in December it had the hottest day on record with an average maximum temperature across the country of 107.4 degrees Fahrenheit — the country’s firefighters are struggling to bring the blazes under control.
[Zambia] Charcoal: a burning issue
UN environment programme, 27 December 2019
Studies have identified charcoal production as one of the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Zambia. The traditional methods of making charcoal lead to high carbon emissions and are a waste of wood resources.
28 December 2019
29 December 2019