3. What are REDD/REDD+ carbon credits?
A carbon credit is equivalent to 1 tonne of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) that has been captured, conserved, or otherwise not released to the atmosphere as a result of the implementation of a specific project.
While each carbon credit represents a tonne of CO2e, carbon credits are not equal in many other ways, even within the same category. REDD/REDD+ type carbon credits come from Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and are intimately connected with the aggressive advance of deforestation over tropical forests.
Why are REDD/REDD+ projects so important?
Brazil has high rates of deforestation, and in 2021 we lost an area equivalent to 13,038 km² of native forest, corresponding to 30% of the area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, or eight times the city of São Paulo.
When the Amazon forest is deforested, greenhouse gas bombs are emitted into the atmosphere, corresponding to the large stock of carbon present in these areas.
According to data from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, the Land-Use Change and Forestry sector was responsible for issuing 637 million tonnes of CO2e in 2020, equivalent to 38% of the country's emissions in that year.
The accounting for emissions from forest loss changed the ranking of global emissions and placed Brazil in the 4th position as one of the countries with the highest accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions. That is, considering from the year 1850 to 2021, lagging only the United States, China, and Russia.
To hold high GHG emissions from the destruction of tropical forests, REDD was created under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 to encourage developing countries to conserve and restore their forests.
REDD/REDD+ projects are developed in areas under high pressure of deforestation, and which are generally very close to other areas already deforested, being subject to the same agents.
Many of these projects are in the so-called “Arc of Deforestation” which is the region in the Amazon where the agricultural frontier advances towards the forest. There are 500 thousand km² of land that goes from the east and south of Pará towards the west, passing through Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Acre.
That's the reason REDD/REDD+ projects are so important. They guarantee the conservation of areas that would be deforested if the projects did not exist.
By remunerating these projects through carbon credits, we add financial value to that conserved area. The more value we add, the more financially it pays to keep the forest standing. In other words, the owner of that land profits much more from the REDD/REDD+ projects than from deforesting it. This fits the concept of a regenerative economy.
The conservation and recovery of forests are beneficial for mitigating and adapting to climate change, in the face of its adverse effects. At the same time, they provide benefits for the conservation of biodiversity and offer ecosystem services for people who live in the forest, and also for populations who live in urban centers, such as climate regulation.
References
6 consequences of deforestation in the Amazon – GreenBond
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest: Main causes and consequences
Brazil is 4th in the world in the ranking of polluting gas emissions since 1850
GHG Emissions by Sector — Portuguese (Brazil)
GHG Emissions by Subsector — Portuguese (Brazil)
PRODES — General Coordination of Earth Observation
Forests, Deforestation and Climate Change
The Paris Agreement and the future of REDD+ in Brazil. - Embrapa Portal
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