SAFEGUARDS WEAKENING; FINANCE TALKS START
REDD+ report for Thursday 1 December
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries
Protecting forests depends on decisions in Durban to bring the REDD mechanism into force:
· technical methodologies – including safeguards (in SBSTA)
· financing – how will developing countries be assisted? (in LCA)
TODAY’S AGENDA for SBSTA (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice):
· New text at 10 AM
· Contact group on methodological guidance for activities relating to REDD+
Time: 11:30 – 13:00 (closed to observers)
Background: SBSTA is to develop text for a COP decision by Friday evening. Outstanding issues:
· Safeguards information systems: social, governance and environmental safeguards are fundamental and crucial. An international system for reporting on and assessing their implementation is required.
· Reference levels: measuring forest degradation (not just deforestation) – such as the impact of industrial logging and the impact of draining peat forest soils – is vital. Simply measuring forest cover is unacceptable: many important emissions would be missed. Also, forest carbon measurements must be based on historical emissions, not a contrived baseline, if we are to do better than the past.
· Drivers: the causes of deforestation and forest degradation are international – not just internal to developing countries. They must all be addressed in a work program that should be activated as soon as possible.
TODAY’S AGENDA FOR LCA
· Informal group on policy approaches and positive incentives
Time: 15:00 – 15:45
LULUCF report for Thursday 1 December
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in attempts to secure a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol
Spin-off group on Chapter II
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Background: A mess. Significant concerns include:
· Definition of forest remains so broad as to exclude conversion of natural forests to plantations (primary forests to secondary forests);
· Backwards step – inclusion of wetland drainage and rewetting as an activity with mandatory accounting by developed countries is no longer agreed. Wetlands (peatlands) comprise only .3 percent of the world’s surface but are responsible for approx. 6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
· Biomass burning (wood harvested for energy purposes) included in accounting but nullified by being included in the baseline from which net emissions are calculated;
· Harvested wood products (pulpwood, timber, etc.) in forest accounting will make a country’s greenhouse gas emissions appear less than they are;
Outlook: New text expected today. Finalized text expected tomorrow. ECA observers will obtain information when possible.
The Ecosystems Climate Alliance is comprised of eleven NGOs and a variety of affiliate organizations and individuals committed to keeping natural terrestrial ecosystems intact and their carbon out of the atmosphere. We are available for interviews, background and analysis. CONTACT: Don Lehr on +1 917 304 4058 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 917 304 4058 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, dblehr@cs.com, or find us at the outside tables under the tent at the main entrance to ICC.