Authors

Source

Type

Peer Review

Audience

Pages

Notes

The IPCC estimate of emissions from tropical deforestation in the 1990s
was 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon per year equating to 20% of global carbon
emissions. To create a mechanism that addresses this problem, many
differing proposals to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation
(REDD) have been put forward to the UNFCCC, which has resulted in
some confusion. This non-partisan guide to the proposals is intended to
accelerate understanding.
The Little REDD Book has been compiled by the GCP with the support of a
wide range of contributors from around the world including many proposal
authors. The Prince’s Rainforests Project has kindly provided its analysis
of the proposals, which is at the heart of this guide. It shows how they have
developed over time, either directly or indirectly building on what has come
before. Most importantly, it demonstrates how much common ground there
is between proposals – that for every point of difference there are many
points of agreement, and that a menu of commonly held principles and
approaches is emerging.
Agreement on REDD is within reach. The spread of new technologies such
as satellite monitoring is overcoming some long-standing technical barriers.
Collaboration by scientists, economists and policy makers at the UNFCCC,
IPCC and other forums, is helping to clarify outstanding methodological
issues. Money for capacity building and pilot projects has started to flow.
The imperative now is for the international community to continue working
collaboratively and with renewed urgency towards achieving political
consensus at Copenhagen. It is our hope that this publication – and its
online counterpart www.littleREDDbook.org – can help build understanding
as the countdown to COP 15 begins in earnest.