GS Paper III
News Excerpt:
A UN report titled "Raising Ambition, Accelerating Action: Towards Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions for Forests" found major gaps in forest protection, management, and restoration in countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Key findings from the UN Report about Deforestation:
- Emissions from deforestation have increased since the 2021 Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which aimed to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.
- This increase was mostly attributed to Latin America and the Caribbean between 2019 and 2022, with Brazil being cited as an exception for recently reducing deforestation by 22% annually.
About National Determined Contribution:
- NDC pledges made between 2017 and 2023 did not meet the global goals to halve and reverse deforestation for the said timeline of 2030, according to the report.
- Only 8 of the 20 countries with the most tropical deforestation have set targets to reduce tree cover loss in their NDCs.
- The report highlights a lack of clarity in deforestation targets across NDCs, with countries using different metrics (area-based, emissions-based) and varying levels of detail on implementation plans.
- Brazil's updated NDC lacks forest-related targets, while Indonesia does not have specific commitments, though both have separate action plans aiming for reduced deforestation:
- Brazil's multi-agency Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm) does commit to ending deforestation by 2030.
- Indonesia’s Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 Operational Plan aims to achieve net zero emissions in forest and land use sectors by 2030, the analysis found.
- The commitments within the NDCs of the 20 highest-emitting countries from tree cover loss are insufficient to achieve the goal.
- According to the report, between 2019 and 2023, these countries emitted an average of 5.6 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually from tropical deforestation. This amount exceeds the collective emissions from international aviation and shipping by more than four and a half times.
Key Recommendations:
- The UN report noted that forests are essential as they offer ecosystem services like maintaining water quality, providing habitat for pollinators, and resources for communities.
- It observed that forests also act as much-needed carbon sinks that contribute to mitigating climate change.
- The main reasons for deforestation were agriculture due to the international demand for commodities like oil palm, soybean, and beef.
- The report recommended strengthening, enhancing, and aligning forest-based measures mentioned in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and clearly defining national policies.
- Developed and forest countries should collaborate to achieve internationally set goals, emphasizing the importance of collective action.
- Increase forest carbon prices by $30-50 per tonne of CO2 emissions in the carbon market to incentivize forest conservation.
- Ensure the participation of local communities and indigenous people, recognizing their forest land and carbon rights as crucial for forest protection.
- Improved enforcement of existing laws through intensified raids on illegal activities occurring on Indigenous lands has contributed to the successful reduction in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in 2023
Way Forward:
- The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Brazil next year should prioritize ambitious forest protection goals.
- Countries, especially those with extensive forest cover, should include concrete, measurable targets on forests in their revised NDCs (NDCs 3.0) for COP30, extending to 2035.
