Climate mitigation and avoided deforestation

1. Quest Workshop on Forestry and Climate Mitigation, 25-26 July 2005 Climate mitigation and avoided deforestation Martina Jung

2. Forestry and the Kyoto Protocol • Annex I: • Mandatory: afforestation, reforestation, deforestation • Voluntary: forest management, cropland and grazing land management, revegetation • Non-Annex I (CDM): • Only afforestation and reforestation

3. Forests and climate change • Tropical deforestation around 25 % of global human-induced emissions in 1990‘s • Not addressed in Kyoto Protocol • Avoiding deforestation is more effective climate mitigation strategy than A/R (immediate effect, magnitude of emissions) • Other benefits: biodiversity conservation, watershed protection etc.

4. Why was avoided deforestation not included in the CDM? • Scale: emission reduction credits with potential to flood the market • Uncertainties regarding baselines • Leakage, e.g. increased deforestation outside project boundary, or at later point in time

5. A proposal to address tropical deforestation – the compensated reduction approach • Presented at side event at COP 9 (IPAM) • Discussed at post-2012 workshop in Graz, March 2005 • Papua New Guinea: voiced strong support for credits from avoided deforestation at UNFCCC seminar

6. Compensated reduction- in a nutshell • If country reduces deforestation as compared to a national deforestation baseline, certified emission reduction credits are issued (sectoral crediting mechanism)

7. Compensated reduction – questions to be addressed • Host country liability for future emissions from deforestation • Calculation of baseline (models) • How to avoid that degradation is happening instead of deforestation? • Inclusion would have to be considered in setting of emission targets of Annex I countries

8. Forestry post-2012 – brainstorming • Project-based mechanisms vs. national measures/targets? • Lessons to be learned from forestry projects in first commitment period/from ODA financed forestry projects? • How much control do governments have over deforestation? • Is forest conservation really as cheap as widely believed? • Biofuels and carbon sequestration – trade offs and spill-over effects? • Research needs?

9. Thank you!

10. Compensated Reduction • Santilli et al. (2003) Tropical deforestation and the Kyoto Protocol: a new proposal • Schlamadinger et al (2004) Should we include avoidance of deforestation in the international response to climate change? • Forthcoming paper (output of Graz workshop)