Environment

India’s draft on REDD+ safeguards needs a relook

·        India has released a draft document on Safeguards Information System to reduce potential risks from the implementation of activities under the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation program (REDD+), a key climate change mitigation tool.

·        The draft document is in compliance with India’s commitment to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

·        Experts note the safeguard relies on forest and land use rules, legislation and guidelines that dont have an amazing tune report of making sure environmental justice and addressing biodiversity loss.

·        A more robust framework to evaluate compliance is needed.

·        The REDD+ framework created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP), is geared towards the sustainable management of forests and the Conservation and enhancement of woodland carbon shares in growing international locations.

·        The seven safeguards (called Cancun safeguards) articulated as in keeping with the Cancun Agreements at Cancun, Mexico, at the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference, want to be addressed and respectedthe implementation of REDD+ activities to prevent any negative impacts of REDD+ actions on natural forests, biological diversity and local communities.

·        As in line with the agreements, developing united states Parties to the UNFCCC which includes India, are required to create a Safeguards Information System (SIS) to record on compliance to the safeguardswhile implementing REDD+ activities.

·        The National REDD+ Strategy of India endorses the adherence to Cancun safeguards during the implementation of REDD+ activities, states the draft document.

·        The Strategy additionally ties in with India’s Nationally Determined Contribution to create an additional carbon sink of 2.Five to a few billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent via additional wooded area andtree cover by 2030.

What is REDD+?

·        Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2005.

·        Most of the key REDD+ decisions were completed by 2013, with the final pieces of the rulebook finished in 2015.

·        The “Plus” in REDD+, lays out the various ways in which countries have defined the three activities: conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stock.

·        It pursuits to achieve climate alternate mitigation by using incentivizing woodland conservation.

·        It has three phases — Readiness, Implementation and Result-based actions. Readiness phase involves the development of national strategies or action plans, REDD+ mitigation actions, and capacity building. Implementation is about enacting REDD+ actions and national strategies that could involve further capacity building, technology development and transfer.

·        Results-based payments comprise the final REDD+ phase.

·        It affords financial incentives to growing countries that prove they stopped deforestation during a positive time frame.

·        This is done through rigorous UN-backed technical evaluations

·        The Green Climate Fund (GCF) established at Conference Of Parties (COP)-17 to function as the financial mechanism for the UNFCCC, is currently financing REDD+ programs.

·        Brazil was the primary U.S. To get hold of $ninety six.5 million underneath the resultsbased bills.