WHY FORESTS?
WHY NOWMORE THAN
EVER?

WHY FORESTS?

Photo: CIFORPhoto credit: CIFOR

Photo credit: CIFORWHY FORESTS? KEY POINTS:• Tropical deforestation is a major contributor to current
global climate emissions; forest protection andrestoration are an even larger part of the climate solution• Forests provide many other development benefits inaddition to global climate stability• Rich countries are part of the problem, and cancontribute to the solutionCredit: NASA Earth Observatory

WHY FORESTS? KEY POINTS:• Tropical deforestation is a major contributor to current
global climate emissions; forest protection andrestoration are an even larger part of the climate solution• Forests provide many other development benefits inaddition to global climate stability• Rich countries are part of the problem, and cancontribute to the solutionCredit: NOAA/Wikimedia CommonsWHY FORESTS? KEY POINTS:• Tropical deforestation is a major contributor to current
global climate emissions; forest protection andrestoration is an even larger part of the climate solution• Forests provide many other development benefits inaddition to climate stability• Rich countries are part of the problem, and cancontribute to the solutionUPDATES• 2016 and 2017 were record years for global forest loss
– Drop in loss of Indonesia’s peatlands rare good news
• More evidence has accumulated on the importance offorests for climate and development– Global mitigation potential– Non-carbon impacts on climate stability across scales• Global production and consumption of forest-risk
commodities continue to increase– In 2018, the EU agreed to phase out palm oil-based
biofuel by 2030

WHY NOW
MORE THAN
EVER?

Photo: CIFORPhoto credit: CIFORKoushik Majumdar, CIFOR Photo Competition

WHY NOW MORE THAN EVER? KEY POINTS:• We have evidence that reducing deforestation is feasible
and affordable• New tools are enabling transparency and accountability• Global norms are shifting in ways favorable to forest
protection• We have achieved global consensus on REDD+, butfinance remains the missing pieceWHY NOW MORE THAN EVER? KEY POINTS:• We have evidence that reducing deforestation is feasible
and affordable• New tools are enabling transparency and accountability• Global norms are shifting in ways favorable to forest
protection• We have achieved global consensus on REDD+, butfinance remains the missing pieceImage: Landsat

WHY NOW MORE THAN EVER? KEY POINTS:• We have evidence that reducing deforestation is feasible
and affordable• New tools are enabling transparency and accountability• Global norms are shifting in ways favorable to forest
protection• We have achieved global consensus on REDD+, butfinance remains the missing pieceDECREASING TOLERANCE FOR ILLEGAL LOGGINGAND CRIMEINCREASED EXPECTATIONS FOR CORPORATERESPONSIBILITYINCREASING RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES’ RIGHTSWHY NOW MORE THAN EVER? KEY POINTS:• We have evidence that reducing deforestation is feasible
and affordable• New tools are enabling transparency and accountability• Global norms are shifting in ways favorable to forest
protection• We have achieved global consensus on REDD+, butfinance remains the missing pieceREDUCING EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION AND
FOREST DEGRADATION: REDD+

UPDATES• The deforestation rate in Brazil has ticked up; concern
regarding the implications of Bolsonaro’s policies• Approaching 2020 deadline for corporate “nodeforestation” commitments is prompting action• Increasing interest in the “jurisdictional approach” to lowemissions development at the sub-national level• Current and prospective REDD+ financing mechanisms
have inched forward: FCPF Carbon Fund; Green
Climate Fund; ICAO CORSIA; California; Article 6

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