Carbon trading from avoided deforestation (REDD) credits could yield billions of dollars for tropical countries, according to analysis by mongabay.com, a leading tropical forest web site.

Using conservative estimates for carbon storage in tropical forests for 63 countries, mongabay.com estimates that reducing deforestation by 10 percent would generate $767 million to $4.6 billion per year at carbon prices ranging from $5-30 per ton of CO2 [tCO2e]. For comparison, the EU's ETS market for carbon credits is presently around $32/tCO2e. A 20 percent reduction would generate $1.5 to 9.2 billion, while a 50 percent reduction would yield $3.8 to 23 billion annually.

The figures show the proceeds from REDD carbon credits would dwarf the $1.1 billion in international funding for forestry spent annually over the past decade and could offer developing countries a way to diversify earnings in their forestry sector while at the same time safeguarding important ecosystem services — like watershed protection and biodiversity conservation — and forest option values.

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http://news.mongabay.com

IUCN, in collaboration with the Poverty and Environment Partnership (PEP), hosted an event during the Bali conference on climate change. As part of a full day devoted to the role of forests in climate change, organized by CIFOR, IUCN helped to ensure that social issues and linkages to poverty reduction were high on the agenda.

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http://www.iucn.org

The United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference now underway in Bali allows Indonesia to show the world that it's part of the solution to global warming. But whatever it says in TV spots or at the high level meetings this week, Indonesia is a major, growing part of the problem. Largely thanks to the rapid cutting and burning of its forests, Indonesia is now the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. But among the international organizations in attendance, facts like that appear to count for far less than good manners and a well-turned phrase.

The compromise most likely to emerge in the coming years will involve offsetting measures for developing countries rather than emissions limits. Forests are an asset that Indonesia can use for offsets, and a proposal known as REDD - Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation - will bring payments in exchange for preserving "the lungs of the earth".

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http://www.atimes.com

Climate protection has been on everyone's lips since the climate change conference in Bali last December, if not before. One way of preventing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is to protect the world's remaining forests from destruction, since they act as our planet's green lungs and bind enormous quantities of carbon, as do the world's oceans. The international debate on preventing deforestation is now focusing on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). The new GTZ Environment and Climate Change Division headed by Stephan Paulus issued invitations to a workshop on this topic at the beginning of February. Over 120 participants came to discuss the development potential offered by climate protection through forest conservation, among other issues.

In this interview, Stephan Paulus outlines the opportunities for protecting our climate by preventing deforestation, informs us on the current status of the international debate and the contribution GTZ can make.

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http://www.gtz.de