REDD+: A new mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

(Baonghean) - Recently, on several forums discussing solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, people have not only talked a lot but also proposed programs and plans to implement REDD+. So what is REDD+? How is it related to climate change and forest protection?

REDD is an acronym for "Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation".

So what is REDD+? According to expert Nguyen Quang Tan from the Center for People and Forests of Vietnam, REDD+ is an international initiative that provides financial support to developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, through five main activities: Limiting deforestation; Limiting forest degradation; Conserving forest carbon stocks; Sustainable forest resource management; and Increasing forest carbon stocks.

Inspecting the area of ​​planted forest at Khe Tron (Thanh Chuong). (Photo courtesy of the archives.)

The idea behind REDD+ is that developing countries reduce deforestation and forest degradation in exchange for financial compensation from a global fund contributed by developed countries. The goal of REDD+ is not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also to provide other benefits such as poverty reduction, forestry development, and biodiversity conservation.

With their function of releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, forests play a particularly important role in climate change. They both contribute to climate change and are victims of its impacts. Forests also have the potential to become a two-pronged solution in responding to climate change – mitigating the causes of climate change and helping society adapt to its effects.

For example, preventing deforestation and forest degradation can help reduce global CO2 emissions by nearly 20%; maintaining forests helps us adapt by providing valuable ecological services. The emergence of REDD+ is an inevitable and objective process.

It was 1992, and governments around the world had unanimously recognized that global temperatures and weather patterns were changing at an unusually rapid pace. Within the framework of the United Nations, governments decided to meet annually to discuss why this was happening and what needed to be done.

By 1997, most scientists agreed that global temperatures were rising much faster than normal, and that the primary cause was the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and prevent it from escaping back into space, thus acting as a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases occur naturally, but are also produced when oil, coal, and wood are burned for energy.

Therefore, as the world's population increases and we use more energy, we also release larger amounts of greenhouse gases into the biosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most concerning greenhouse gases.

Climate change can damage the “health” of forests in many different ways: Reduced rainfall and rising temperatures can cause droughts – increasing wildfires and depleting forest resources. A destroyed forest will be unable to provide the natural ecosystem services that sustain livelihoods and help people adapt to climate change.

Forests help control soil erosion, provide clean water, and create corridors for wildlife to migrate to areas with more favorable climates. The loss of these services will impact the lives and livelihoods of people who depend on forests.

Forests can also exacerbate climate change if not managed sustainably. When timber is harvested, trees become a source of greenhouse gases because all the carbon they store is released as CO2, and the trees are no longer carbon sinks – meaning they can no longer absorb CO2 from the biosphere.

The international community is increasingly recognizing that if forests are to be integrated into a global climate change solution, developing countries need to be compensated for their efforts to mitigate deforestation (when forests are cleared for conversion to other land uses) and forest degradation (when forest resources are damaged). After all, forested land is invaluable – providing timber and the potential to be converted into commercial plantations or agriculture to feed populations.

Financial incentives are necessary to ensure that forested land remains as valuable as the forest itself. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is one mechanism designed to generate these incentives. Under this system, countries measure and monitor CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation within their borders.

After a certain period, countries will calculate the amount of emission reduction and receive a number of forest carbon credits that can be traded on the market based on this reduction. These credits can then be sold on the global carbon market.

Thus, REDD provides financial incentives to prevent deforestation and forest degradation, creating incentives for sustainable and equitable forest management for poor people living in or near forested areas.

REDD is not a form of distributing benefits individually, but rather attracts and distributes benefits equitably to multiple stakeholders, including local forest managers, forestry officials and local governments, local NGOs and civil society groups involved in forest management, and above all, households dependent on forests. These households are entitled to receive benefits from REDD due to their contributions to its implementation.

Civil society, non-governmental organizations, and communities will play a crucial role in implementing REDD at the local level through sustainable forest management practices. Community forestry will also contribute to realizing the achievements of REDD: improving livelihoods, ensuring carbon sequestration in forests, and drawing lessons on sustainable forest management.

Local stakeholders – with a little training – can accurately and regularly gather essential information on deforestation and forest degradation through field monitoring. In turn, REDD aims to benefit local stakeholders by: Clarifying land use rights and access rights to land and forests; Maintaining forest resources and the livelihoods of people who depend on forests; and Honoring them with global recognition as responsible forest managers.

For all information regarding the Policy on Payment for Forest Environmental Services, please visit [website/link].here!

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