From November 18-20, 2008, over 30 indigenous peoples and civil society representatives from throughout the Congo Basin gathered in Kinshasa to discuss forests, climate change, and proposed mechanisms for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). We report below on the outcomes.
Beyond carbon financing: Briefing sheet from World Resources Institute
“For many the term ‘REDD’ has become synonymous with a carbon financing approach where reducing emissions from forests by developign country actors is supported by developed country actors buying carbon credits, potentially to meet their own emissions reduction obligations.”
REDD in the news: 22-28 November 2008
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached record highs in 2007, according to the World Meteorological Organisation. The price of European carbon emissions permits remains low. Meanwhile, the carbon market could be swamped by credits from carbon offsets, leading to a price collapse, according to a forthcoming report by Carbon Trust.
Carbon Trust warns of offset threats to carbon markets; Union of Concerned Scientists says REDD will undercut ETS by 33%
On the eve of the Poznan UNFCCC Conference of Parties, even pro-market and cautious expert groups are starting to sound alarm bells about the possible impacts of cheap ‘offsets’ on existing carbon markets.
Forest carbon trading exposed in new FoEI report
A new report by Friends of the Earth International published today takes a critical look at REDD. The report concludes that “The REDD proposals currently on the table are intended to generate profits for polluters, not to stop climate change. They must be replaced with a commitment to stop deforestation once and for all.”