‘Landmark consensus’ on forests’ pivotal climate role

Meeting in Barcelona on 8 October, representatives of governments, forest owners and forestry companies, trade unions and civil society urged world leaders to take into account the “pivotal role” forests can play in mitigating climate change.

According to a Forests Dialogue press release, the 250-odd participants achieved a “rare consensus” on exactly what role forests can play in the battle to halt damaging climate change, and offered five “guiding principles” to ensure the success of current negotiations on a global climate pact. 

These principles include the need to guarantee sustainable forest management that reduces deforestation and degradation. This “must be one of the world’s highest priorities,” states the group. The initiative also emphasises the need to clarify and strengthen the rights of forest-dependent communities in accessing forests and their resources. Lastly, it calls on leaders to provide “substantial additional funding” to build the capacity to put these principles into practice. 

“Consensus on forests is rare. When it is achieved, the world should listen. When it offers a solution to climate change, the world must listen,” stressed the group. Stewart Maginnis, head of the Forest Conservation Programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, agreed: “For the first time on this unprecedented scale, forest leaders, business representatives, donors and community groups not only agreed on the pivotal role that forests can play in mitigating climate change but also mapped out a consensus action plan on concrete next steps. We now ask the world to work with us.” 

Delegates from the world over have been exploring mechanisms to reward those that curb deforestation, especially in developing countries. But environmentalists have warned that without the right safeguards, such proposals could backfire. 

In particular, NGOs are opposed to including forests in carbon emissions trading schemes, saying this was a mere ploy to avoid real carbon emissions reductions at home. 

But members of the European Parliament’s environment committee (ENVI) this week voted to include the issue forests in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (see EURACTIV Links Dossier), saying countries should be allowed to offset up to 5% of their total emission reduction commitments in exchange for preserving forests in developing countries. 

The Commission had originally left forests out of its climate package, arguing that it was too difficult to measure emissions from this sector with accuracy. 

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