REDD+ Brasil

The 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came to an end last Saturday, 12 December, with the anticipated Paris Agreement. The document is the result of the consensus among 195 countries and the European Union about the necessity to face climate change in order to hold the increase in global temperatures to “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5°C. The agreed text brings two provisions on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+), one on the decision and one on the Agreement: Paragraph 55 of the decision "55. Recognizes the importance of adequate and predictable financial resources, including for results-based payments, as appropriate, for the implementation of policy approaches and positive incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks; as well as alternative policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests; while reaffirming the importance of non-carbon benefits associated with such approaches; encouraging the coordination of support from, inter alia, public and private, bilateral and multilateral sources, such as the Green Climate Fund, and alternative sources in accordance with relevant decisions by the Conference of the Parties;" Article 5 of the Agreement "1. Parties should take action to conserve and enhance, as appropriate, sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases as referred to in Article 4, paragraph 1(d), of the Convention, including forests. 2. Parties are encouraged to take action to implement and support, including through results-based payments, the existing framework as set out in related guidance and decisions already agreed under the Convention for: policy approaches and positive incentives for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries; and alternative policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests, while reaffirming the importance of incentivizing, as appropriate, non-carbon benefits associated with such approaches." Another much welcomed provision comes from a decision regarding the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The text, on paragraph 23, urges the Fund’s Board to operationalize REDD+ results-based payments. That is considered a key move to drive REDD+ implementation in Brazil and worldwide. In addition to that, three decisions regarding REDD+ methodological aspects were approved. Their content was agreed during the 42nd session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), which took place in Bonn, Germany, in July 2015. The decisions addressed the last outstanding issues, so that there is no need for further guidance regarding REDD+ implementation. They refer to: 1. Safeguards: the draft decision defines that the existing framework of guidelines is sufficient for the full implementation of REDD+ activities.  2. Alternative Policy Approaches: the draft decision decides that donors may provide resources and technical support for such initiatives. Developing countries that wish to develop such activities will have access to UNFCCC online platform as a means to share their experiences and information. Joint Mitigation and Adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests are examples of Alternative Policy Approach. 3. Non-carbon Benefits: the draft decision concludes that benefits unrelated to carbon do not constitute a requirement for developing countries to receive support for the implementation of REDD+ activities or to receive results-based payments. The countries are, however, encouraged to consider, evaluate and report on such benefits, where appropriate, in accordance with their national circumstances and capabilities. We will post the links to the relevant decisions as soon they are numbered and released by the UNFCCC.

By establishing its National REDD+ Strategy (ENREDD+ in Portuguese), Brazil fulfills the last requirement to get its REDD+ results recognized under the UNFCCC. Brazil has completed the measurement, reporting and verification process of REDD+ results achieved by reducing emissions from deforestation in the Amazon biome between 2006 and 2010. The 2.971 Gt CO2e result is equivalent to more than double Brazil's estimated emissions for 2012, and it represents one of the most significant climate change mitigation contributions for that time period. The recognition materialized with the launch of the Lima REDD+ Information Hub, during an event at COP-21. This platform is a repository for all the relevant REDD+ documentation ender the Convention, such as technical submissions, REDD+ results-based payments, donors, figures etc. The Info Hub will be key for providing transparency to the international system that carries out and monitors REDD+ actions worldwide. As the first country to fulfill all the requirements to have its results recognized, Brazil had the opportunity to inaugurate the Lima REDD+ Information Hub. All the submissions to the UNFCCC developed so far are already available on Lima REDD+ Information Hub. Brazil welcomes the opportunity to present its results with the recognition provided by this platform and expects that it can help attracting new donors and boosting REDD+ results-based payments.

Climate change presents a critical global challenge that can only be addressed through the multilateral process. Brazil strongly supports the international regime established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is committed to its strengthening by contributing with its best efforts to negotiate an agreement that is legally binding, universal, equitable, balanced and ambitious, with the ultimate goals of keeping global average temperatures below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and of steering the global community towards a path of sustainable development. After a number of rounds of negotiations in preparation for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the latest session, held in Bonn past October, resulted in an improved draft text that will be the starting point for the Paris Agreement. There remains, nonetheless, a series of issues to be negotiated during COP21. As we approach COP-21, to be held in Paris, France, between 30 November and 11 December, we bring an overview of Brazil’s expectations regarding some of the main issues to be negotiated before the world can reach the long anticipated Paris Agreement. The new agreement must observe the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), one of the key principles of the Convention. Historical contributions to climate change ought to be taken into account for definitions regarding key aspects, such as climate finance to developing countries and technology transfers. In line with that, Brazil intends to advocate for the concentric differentiation approach. Another important element for Brazil will be the definition of a five year cycles for Parties to update their Nationally Determined Contributions. This should enable countries to assess how their implementation has progressed, setting more ambitious emission reduction targets moving forward. In September 2015, the Brazilian Government gave a clear demonstration of the country’s serious intent to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Brazil’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) sets forward an economy wide absolute target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 37% below 2005 levels in 2025 and 43% by 2030. This contribution has been set, notwithstanding Brazil’s intertwined challenges posed by population growth, social mobility and expanding the access to energy. Brazil is also determined to contribute beyond climate mitigation actions, particularly in the form of South-South cooperation, through the provision of technical and capacity-building support to other developing countries. In a context where actions in the land use change and forest sector will be key to achieve the 2025 and 2030 objectives, Brazil defined REDD+ as a mean for the implementation of Brazil’s INDC. Brazil expects that the agreement that will be approved by the COP-21 will further foster the support for results-based payments to enhance the effectiveness of REDD+ actions. Brazil has been the first country to implement the Warsaw Framework for REDD+. In September 2015, the verification process of REDD+ results achieved in the Amazon biome was successfully concluded, attesting emissions reduction to the tune of 2.9 Gt CO₂e between 2006 and 2010. Making it an unquestionably major mitigation contribution in this period.