Climate change

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+) is a performance-based payment mechanism currently being debated in international and national environmental policy and planning forums. As the mechanism is based on conditionality, payments must reflect land stewards’ level of compliance with carbon-efficient management practices. However, lack of clarity in land […]

Climate change, land degradation and drought affect millions of people living in drylands worldwide. With its food security depending almost entirely on irrigated agriculture, Central Asia is one of the arid regions highly vulnerable to water scarcity. Previous research of land and water use in the region has focused on improving water-use efficiency, soil management […]

This year’s Forum explores the role of landscapes in the future climate and development agenda. In this short video, Forum hosts Peter Holmgren of CIFOR, Achim Steiner of UNEP, and Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal invite organizations and individuals to be part of this event. Learn more about the Forum and how to get involved […]

By Charlotte Streck The current rules of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol fail to formulate a coherent vision for land-based emissions. Until the creation of an incentive framework for reduced emissions from deforestation there was little that encouraged developing countries to reduce emissions from unsustainable land use, and the accounting framework created by the […]

Carbon accounting under the Kyoto protocol treats different land uses in a fragmented way. As more negotiators and observers are calling for integrated approaches, Brazil has produced a groundbreaking new tool for its agricultural sector. Originally published on the WRI blog, by Stephen Russel and Sarah Parsons. Brazil’s farms are major, global producers of beef, […]