29 December 2014 | In 2014, concepts like water stewardship and the water-energy-food nexus gained momentum. Combining that growth with the ramifications of weather extremes like the Rim Fire and the California drought that also happened in 2014 makes the year an eventful one for the water sector to say the least. Studies, initiatives and events aimed at improving global water health marked the past […]
How to measure a year? You’ll have to wait for our data collection to conclude in the New Year to find out how many tonnes of forest-based emissions reductions were financed in 2014, but for now we’ll take stock of the year’s major developments, which ranged from the triumphant to the tragic.
The Lima Call for Action set a procedure for countries to submit their contributions to fighting climate change, but the guidance on how to include land-use is thin so far. In other news, private investors have committed $365 million to restore 20 million hectares in Latin America and the Caribbean, a REDD+ pilot in Tanzania is stalling as it waits on a second phase of investment and an airplane laser-beamed an Alaskan forest to measure its carbon.
Year-end climate talks begin today in Lima, and last year’s map won’t help you understand them. That’s because the aim is no longer to create a one-size-fits-all global agreement, but to come up with a set of ground rules that lets countries attack the problem in their own way, within reason. It’s a path full of pitfalls and promise, and here’s how to navigate it.
Brazil’s Missionary Council for Indigenous Peoples (CIMI) has arguably done more than any other single organization to help indigenous people demarcate their lands, but many indigenous leaders say their onetime protector has become paternalistic and possessive. Last week, after CIMI attacked the Surui Forest Carbon Project, indigenous leaders took to Facebook – and launched a campaign that could go all the way to the Vatican.
Peruvian indigenous organization FENAMAD says it’s time to start using indigenous life plans as a benchmark of REDD+ success. On Wednesday, they will present their ideas at global climate talks underway in Lima.
Though demand for forest carbon offsets grew 17% in 2013, market participants recognize the need to scale up faster in order to curb emissions from deforestation and land-use change. Attendees at Ecosystem Marketplace’s launch of the State of the Forest Carbon Markets 2014 at the World Bank last Friday discussed the policy developments that could guide growth and how the certification of co-benefits could shape demand
On the eve of climate talks in Lima, unprecedented torrential rains have pushed rivers to historic levels in the Amazon Ranforest, driving indigenous people from their homes to higher land. Among those impacted are the Yawanaw¡ of Brazil, who have been at the forefront of seeking innovative solutions to combat climate change.
The community of San Juan Lachao in Oaxaca, Mexico has developed the first pilot carbon offset project under the Climate Action Reserve’s Mexico Forest Protocol. The project is being launched with the financial support of the Walt Disney Company, already a major player in the voluntary carbon market.
The murder of four indigenous leaders in September thrust deforestation into the limelight ahead of year-end climate talks, which are set to begin in less than two weeks in Lima. The daughter of one of those leaders the 57th “Defender of the Environment murdered in Peru since 2002 was honored yesterday with the Alexander Soros Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Environmental and Human Rights Activism.