Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Name	Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Type	Policy initiative
Established	2005
Location	Global

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. A climate mitigation approach aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions from Amazon rainforest, Congo Basin, Borneo, Sumatra, Papua New Guinea and other tropical forests by creating incentives for conservation, sustainable management and enhancement of carbon stocks. Originating in negotiations among parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and influenced by actors such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and civil society organizations including World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International, the initiative interlinks with programs such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility. Implementation intersects national strategies in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peru, and Colombia while engaging multilateral agreements such as the Paris Agreement and finance mechanisms developed by entities like Norway and Germany.

Overview and Definitions

The concept was formalized through dialogues at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and by scientific assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Food and Agriculture Organization, defining technical terms such as reference levels, carbon stocks, leakage, permanence, and co‑benefits within guidance produced by institutions including the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme. Core definitions distinguish activities eligible for results‑based payments and link to accounting rules under decisions by the Conference of the Parties and the Paris Agreement rulebook, with methodological inputs from the Global Forest Observations Initiative and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.

Causes and Drivers of Deforestation and Degradation

Drivers identified in national assessments by Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, and Democratic Republic of the Congo range from agricultural expansion driven by actors such as Cargill, JBS S.A., Unilever, and commodity chains for soybean and palm oil to logging concessions issued under legal frameworks influenced by institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Infrastructure projects championed by entities such as the China National Petroleum Corporation and financed through mechanisms involving the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Inter-American Development Bank have been linked in case studies to increased access and conversion, while land tenure conflicts involving indigenous groups exemplified in litigation at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and policy reforms in Ecuador and Bolivia affect outcomes.

Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)

MRV systems combine remote sensing platforms from Landsat, Sentinel-2, MODIS, and commercial providers like Planet Labs with national forest inventories coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization and technical guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Countries such as Norway and Costa Rica have piloted results‑based payments using datasets curated by the Global Forest Watch partnership, scientific analyses by the Woods Hole Research Center, and verification from audit bodies aligned with ISO standards and protocols developed through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.

Policy Mechanisms and International Frameworks

Mechanisms have included bilateral agreements exemplified by deals between Norway and Brazil, multilateral funds administered by the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, and governance modalities negotiated at COP sessions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These frameworks interact with trade and corporate governance regimes influenced by European Union due diligence proposals, certification schemes run by Forest Stewardship Council and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and legal instruments such as national laws in Indonesia, Peru, and Gabon.

Implementation Strategies and Best Practices

Best practices blend tenure reforms informed by rulings at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and indigenous rights advocacy through organizations like Survival International and Amazon Watch with landscape planning tools used by Food and Agriculture Organization and technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme. Community forestry models demonstrated in Nepal, payment for ecosystem services schemes in Costa Rica, and jurisdictional approaches piloted in Rondônia and Mato Grosso integrate supply‑chain engagement with corporations including IKEA, Nestlé, and Mars, Incorporated and monitoring partnerships with research centers such as CIFOR and IIASA.

Economic Incentives and Financing Mechanisms

Finance has come from bilateral donors such as Norway and Germany, multilateral sources like the World Bank and the Green Climate Fund, carbon markets under compliance regimes in California and the European Union Emissions Trading System, and voluntary markets brokered by intermediaries including VERRA and Gold Standard. Payment‑for‑performance models tie disbursements to verified emission reductions, while blended finance structures involve private investors like BlackRock and philanthropic actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Challenges, Criticisms and Future Directions

Critiques arise from scholars at institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, and London School of Economics and NGOs including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, centering on concerns about additionality, leakage, permanence, social safeguards for indigenous peoples recognized by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the effectiveness of market‑based incentives explored in literature from Stanford University and Yale University. Future directions discussed at COP28, in policy forums hosted by the World Economic Forum, and in technical roadmaps by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasize integration with national climate plans submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, stronger safeguards through instruments such as the Escazú Agreement, enhanced MRV using next‑generation satellites from NASA and European Space Agency, and increased private‑public collaboration involving actors like Amazon Fund stakeholders.

Category:Climate change mitigation