How forest countries are reducing emissions through REDD+
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – A new report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provides an update on the progress forest countries have made in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).
Launched at a side event at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP27), From reference levels to results: REDD+ reporting by countries aims to take stock of progress and help countries navigate the process of measurement, reporting and verification under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The report presents the latest figures on the growing number of countries submitting forest reference levels and REDD+ results to UNFCCC, the reductions in carbon emissions achieved and the results-based finance disbursed.
Recent years have seen countries reporting to new carbon accounting standards, and the publication summarizes these submissions as well.
“It is great to see the progress in REDD+ results and related measurement, reporting and verification under the UNFCCC,” said Tiina Vähänen, Deputy Director of FAO’s Forestry Division. “FAO is pleased to provide technical support to forest countries on this and has supported 70 percent of submissions. This new report aims to take stock of progress and to inform countries and other stakeholders.”
REDD+ results
According to the report, 56 countries who are together responsible for approximately 75 percent of global deforestation have submitted a REDD+ forest reference level.
Some 19 countries have now reported REDD+ results, which in total amount to 11.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent achieved between 2006 and 2021.
Forests have a fundamental role to play in mitigating climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass and soils. When forests are cleared or degraded they can become a source of greenhouse gas emissions by releasing stored carbon. It is estimated that globally, deforestation and forest degradation account for 10 percent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
REDD+ has been negotiated under the UNFCCC since 2005 and aims to incentivize activities by governments to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and through the conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
Reporting under the Paris Agreement
Under the Paris Agreement, which entered into force in 2016, all countries have agreed to reduce their emissions according to national targets they have set for themselves, and REDD+ can help them to do that.
Countries may submit results to the UNFCCC. The information reported is verified, and could be awarded with finance for the full implementation and related achievement of results of REDD+. This finance can be provided by a variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral.
While the new FAO report provides the most up to date figures on the scope and results of REDD+, it complements previous updates, published in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, which each contains in depth sections with different aspects of the process that remain relevant.
