Why REDD+ is bad and will make the climate crisis worse

Kjell Kühne 27.11.2011 

REDD+

Definition

REDD+ stands for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries + Forest Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks 

REDD+

How it works ± in theory

Deforestation: of global CO2 emissions 10-20% Trees should be ³worth more´ ($$) standing than cut down 

REDD+

How it works ± in theory

How to achieve this? Send money to Brazil, Indonesia, Congo and hope it will stop deforestation Pay the countries that have been destroying their forests very quickly (but not the ones that have protected theirs) 

REDD+

In practice

What happens in practice? Cutting down continues Rich people take the money Poor people are kicked out of the forest Big polluters take the ³carbon credits´ and pollute more! 

REDD+

Practice 

REDD+

Problems

And it's not even good for the climate! When one area is ³protected´ through a REDD+ project, businesses and people who want to cut down forests, simply go elsewhere --> this is called ³leakage´ The trees can die and then the carbon is back up in the air. Example: The Amazon rainforest will turn into a savannah if global warming continues! --> this is called ³permanence´ The forest country and the country that pays for REDD+ both can claim the ³emissions reductions´ and can use them to burn more fossil fuels --> this is called ³double counting´ 

REDD+

In practice

In the end, we have MORE emissions, instead of less! 

REDD+

Problems

So why would people want to do such a thing? North: To keep dirty (and powerful) industries running with cheap carbon ³offsets´ South: Politicians want to get $$$ 

REDD+

Practice 

REDD+

REDD+ is a mechanism that is being talked about in the UN Climate Negotiations. At COP17 in Durban they will try to push it through. At Forest Day on Dec 4th they will be telling everyone how great REDD+ is. 

REDD+

Alternatives

The Alternative: Protect indigenous peoples rights to their forest --> They have been protecting the forest for ages and will continue to protect it
To help protect your privacy, PowerPoint prevented this external picture from being automatically downloaded. To download and display this picture, click Options in the Message Bar, and then click Enable external content. 

Deforestation around Xingu Indigenous Territory, Brazil 1994

Rainforest Foundation Norway 

Deforestation around Xingu Indigenous Territory, Brazil 2005

Rainforest Foundation Norway 

REDD+

Question for you: Should Plant-for-thePlanet make a statement about this? Opportunities: rd Global Day of Action, December 3 Billion Tree Campaign, December 7th Tree planting at ICC, December 8th 

REDD+

Greetings from Durban! 

Durban 2011