Abstract
With an estimated average loss of around 13 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2005 – 7.3 million hectares if reforestation is taken into account, according to FAO –, tropical deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. At around 4.4 to 5.5 GtCO2 per year (the latter including peat forest degradation) according to the latest estimates, these emissions account for about 12 to 15% of annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions (from 8 to 20% taking into account the considerable uncertainties in the deforestation and degradation estimates). Moreover, tropical deforestation has a devastating impact on biological diversity, since tropical forests contain over two thirds of the 250 000 higher plants known to scientists. At present, emissions caused by deforestation in developing countries are regulated neither by the Framework Convention on Climate Change nor by the Kyoto Protocol. However, the issue of “avoided deforestation” is expected to be one of the difficult areas of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (Copenhagen, December 2009), which will propose a post-Kyoto “climate” regime. Is the solution a market mechanism to “reward” actors or a fund to finance reforms that tackle the causes? The debate is open.
Highlights
At present, emissions caused by deforestation in developing countries are regulated neither by the Framework Convention on Climate Change nor by the Kyoto Protocol
As for non-forest Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, we know that many of them have failed to comply with the rules on establishing baseline scenarios, against which the reductions attributed to the project are measured
More and more of these projects are certified by third parties, at least one condition is not evaluated in many cases: additionality, in other words the “net” effects of the private action or public action that are attributed to this action alone, irrespective of the circumstances that would occur in the absence of this action
Summary
In this publication from the Cirad, the researchers open new lines of thought and action based on their research. 2000 and 2005 – 7.3 million hectares if reforestation is taken into account, according to FAO –, tropical deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. At around 4.4 to 5.5 GtCO2 per year (the latter including peat forest degradation) according to the latest estimates, these emissions account for about 12 to 15% of annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions (from 8 to 20% taking into account the considerable uncertainties in the deforestation and degradation estimates). Emissions caused by deforestation in developing countries are regulated neither by the Framework Convention on Climate Change nor by the Kyoto Protocol. Is the solution a market mechanism to “reward” actors or a fund to finance reforms that tackle the causes? Is the solution a market mechanism to “reward” actors or a fund to finance reforms that tackle the causes? The debate is open
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