EBOOKS

REDD myths

By Friends of the Earth International

	FREE

OVERVIEW

United Nations negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries (REDD) are in fast forward mode, both in the negotiating halls and on the ground. This is partly because of the considerable sums of money being discussed - figures of tens of billions of dollars per year are the norm. Yet many critical questions remain unanswered. Will REDD help tomitigate climate change or actually negate efforts that have been made so far? Who will really benefit from REDD funds? How might trading in forest carbon credits impact on REDD-related policies and projects? From a climate change point of view, the overall goal is to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of CO2 at as low a level as possible. This can partly be achieved by stopping deforestation, which is responsible for some 18% of carbon emissions to the atmosphere. But REDD is not intended to stop deforestation. A detailed analysis shows that ‘reducing emissions from deforestation' is actually a dramatically different approach that could have significant negative impacts on people, on biodiversity and even on our climate.

A critical review of proposed mechanisms to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries.