Posted on December, 14 2014

While negotiators took a pass on finalizing the remaining elements of an international mechanism to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) – the second largest source of emissions that cause climate change – at the recently concluded UN climate change meeting in Lima, there were a number positive advances during the conference.
 
This year’s meeting included the first-ever ‘REDD+ Day’ which focused on advancing implementation in developing countries. Guyana, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico submitted forest reference emission levels for technical assessment in the context of results-based payments for REDD+ to the UNFCCC. Colombia announced the presentation of forest reference emission levels and noted the plan to deliver them by the end of 2014.  These countries follow Brazil, which was the first to submit reference levels in June.

The Government of Colombia also launched the “Lima Challenge” in which fourteen developing countries stated that they are committed to reducing forest based emissions as part of a low carbon development path. These forest countries jointly challenged developed countries to collaborate to achieve even greater emissions reductions, pledging their willingness to quantify the additional ambition that could be achieved with international support.
 
Dozens of side events, including many with WWF participation, showcased REDD+ progress across key landscapes in Africa, Asia and South America.
 
“Last year’s meeting in Warsaw was about setting the rules for REDD+, and Lima has been about demonstrating action. Despite the fact that there are unresolved issues here, we are happy to see that countries are moving from negotiations to concrete activities around making REDD+ a reality,” said Josefina Brana-Varela, Policy Director for WWF’s international Forest and Climate Programme. “However, we are not satisfied with the work around climate finance. We are deeply concerned that there have not been enough pledges or clarity on how to close the finance gap between the commitments we saw in Copenhagen and where we stand today.”
 
“Here in Lima, we have seen enormous commitments on forests in the aggregate ambition of the countries who have submitted forest reference levels and who have committed to unilateral action and additional action if supported by external finance, said Peter Graham, Leader of the Forest and Climate Programme.  “If these governments show the political will to live up to those forest commitments, and if developed countries, the private sector and financial institutions move quickly to meet the challenge with adequate and predictable finance, we could be well on our way to meeting the goal of halting deforestation by 2030.”
 
Parties will pick back up on the pending issues for REDD+ that were unresolved in Lima - safeguards and the joint mitigation and adaptation mechanism, along with non-carbon benefits, in June 2015. At the next UN climate meeting in Paris, Parties will work to establish a new global climate agreement.