The United Nations and World Bank are spearheading efforts to help developing countries get ready for REDD, but many countries across Latin America are tapping a combination of World Bank donors and independent carbon standards to make sure they’re ready for REDD when it arrives. Costa Rica and Chile are among the most advanced. Here’s a look.
On January 17, Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace released Charting New Waters: State of Watershed Payments 2012. The report is available here. On January 24, a live launch event, co-hosted by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, was held in Washington DC.A recording of the webcast of the event can be found here and the […]
After tallying up the numbers for our yearly round up of the top ten stories in 2012 – as depicted by our readers – we find the majority of the spots being taken by validation/verification stories related to both domestic and international standards. For 2013, our readers foresee a growing emphasis on jurisdictional REDD+ efforts, which VCS and ACR launched methodologies for in 2012. Stay tuned to Ecosystem Marketplace to see if these two trends cross paths throughout the year!
The results are in, and our year-end voluntary carbon survey shows that readers expect two complementary trends to continue in 2012. On the demand side, they see buyers clamoring for more non-carbon benefits. On the supply side, they see more standardization in the carbon component, which should make the co-benefits even more transparent.
Lawsuits brought against the EPA, development of a US network of water quality trading programs and the formation of Ecosystem Marketplace’s new platform on water issues, Watershed Connect, are just a few of the noteworthy water stories that occurred in 2012. Here is a look at the highlights.
Between now and the "next big crescendo" in climate talks, a growing patchwork of government programs and market players trucks onward. Consolidation continues, with ERA acquiring Offsetters and CCC before issuing REDD+ credits big time from its DRC project. Jurisdictional REDD+ starts to find its feet, as Forest Carbon explores forest carbon opportunities at the provincial level in Laos.
Legitimate carbon projects have long been wrongfully tarnished by the actions of bad players acting outside the recognized carbon community. Now Reuters reports that the Brazilian government is taking action against one alleged “cowboy” – a move that should be embraced by everyone trying to do REDD right.
Although the process of developing an international REDD+ framework did not take the steps desired in COP18, REDD+ movement is occurring at the national and regional levels. The first REDD project ever to navigate a VCS REDD methodology is back in business, while other forest carbon projects are sprouting in Nicaragua, South Korea and Malaysia. Meanwhile, Costa Rica secures World Bank-approval for their Carbon Fund scheme.
Forest Trends is hosting events covering water and carbon at the ACES and Ecosystem Markets conference happening in Florida from December 10th through the 14th. Also, Ecosystem Marketplace’s State of Watershed Payments 2012 is due out in mid-January while sustainable plans have been agreed on for the Murray-Darling and Colorado River Basins.
As our Ecosystem Marketplace team prepares to join the (albeit downsized) mass of avid climate talk followers to Doha, we set out to find the “must attend” events – and bring them to you. Take a look below for our hand-picked list of promising events during COP 18, including where and when you can find the Forest Trends team in action!