Members of the DC-based humanitarian and relief umbrella organization InterAction are coming around to the nexus between development work and climate disruption. Last week, InterAction convened a gathering held to review results and next steps in aftermath of the United Nations Climate Conference in Bali. More than 50 participants attended, causing one official to note this compared to an initial meeting last year that only attracted three attendees.
U.S. global warming advocacy moves to get green on emissions from smokestacks and tailpipes, one development Bali conference attendees noted was the need to get serious on REDD. REDD stands for "Reductions in Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation". By some estimates the global impacts from deforestation account for as much as 20 percent of global warming gas emissions caused by human activity.
One RPCV working on this issue is Doug Boucher (Costa Rica 71 - 73), Director of the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The inclusion of reducing emissions from deforestation in the Bali Action Plan is the biggest step forward on climate change since Kyoto. Finally, the cause of 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions is going to be dealt with in a serious way."
Read more about what the Union of Concerned Scientists have to say about REDD.
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