The way in which forests are defined will be a crucial factor in determining whether REDD serves a truly useful purpose in helping to protect the world’s forests or, alternatively, is simply used as a means of supplementing the incomes of logging and industrial plantation companies.
The push for REDD could sidestep land and resource rights in Indonesia
The latest issue of Down to Earth‘s newsletter includes a detailed overview of REDD in Indonesia. The danger, Down to Earth points out, is that in the rush to get REDD pilot schemes up and running before the Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009, important issues such as land and resource rights in forests are…
REDD could “displace millions”
In the run up to the UN’s climate change conference in Poznan next week, Friends of the Earth International will publish a report looking at some of the possible implications of REDD. In the report, FoEI will argue that the plans for REDD are open to abuse by corrupt politicians or even illegal logging companies.
REDD in the news: 15-21 November 2008
Two important developments this week: Voluntary Carbon Standard developed a new standard for carbon accounting in forests; and three US Governors signed a carbon trade agreement with states in Brazil and Indonesia. The reporting is uniformally optimistic.
US on the slippery slope to REDD offsets?
Reuters has reported that the state of California has signed an agreement with the Indonesian Province of Aceh to purchase carbon credits from the Ulu Masen forest ‘offset’ scheme.