redd: the realities in black and white

The report critiques 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries' (REDD), claiming it risks exacerbating inequality and privatizing forest resources. It highlights how energy companies use REDD for greenwashing while continuing fossil fuel extraction. Through case studies in Indonesia, Mexico, Paraguay, and others, the document illustrates failures in community consultation, the risk of 'leakage' where deforestation simply shifts location, and the danger of including monoculture plantations in carbon accounting. It concludes that REDD should be decoupled from volatile carbon markets and instead based on public funding and the recognition of Indigenous land rights.

• REDD is characterized as a mechanism that may benefit some specific areas but overall has the potential to increase inequality by providing high rewards for corporate investors while offering fewer benefits or serious disadvantages to Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities.
• Large transnational corporations, particularly in the energy sector, are utilizing REDD to present themselves as climate champions while continuing or expanding fossil fuel extraction, a process described as 'greenwashing'.
• There is a significant risk that REDD will lead to the privatization of global forest resources, transferring control from local communities and Indigenous Peoples to carbon traders and bankers.
• The report identifies 'leakage' as a critical failure point, where REDD projects may not reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions because deforestation activities simply shift to other locations.
• Indigenous Peoples and local communities frequently struggle to be heard in REDD processes, with many projects skipping proper consultation to expedite implementation.
• The inclusion of monoculture tree plantations and 'sustainable forest management' (which includes logging) within REDD is criticized for potentially replacing old-growth forests with low-carbon trees.
• Linking REDD to carbon markets is viewed as dangerous due to market volatility and the risk that it allows industrialized nations to offset emissions rather than making real reductions.
• In Costa Rica, the Payments for Environmental Services (PES) scheme, often cited as a model for REDD, is argued to have had minimal impact on deforestation, with 90% of its funding coming from a fuel tax rather than market mechanisms.

APA

Hall, R., Lechon, D., Siakor, S., Yiah, J., Osarogiagbon, R., Lovera, S., Peña, E. D., Baltodano, J., Mann, T., & Surya, T. (2010). redd: the realities in black and white. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/REDD-ingles-final-17-11.pdf

Chicago

Hall, Ronnie, Domingo Lechon, Silas Siakor, Jonathan Yiah, Rita Osarogiagbon, Simone Lovera, Elías Díaz Peña, et al. redd: the realities in black and white. Friends of the Earth International, 2010. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/REDD-ingles-final-17-11.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{hall2010redd, author = {Hall, Ronnie and Lechon, Domingo and Siakor, Silas and Yiah, Jonathan and Osarogiagbon, Rita and Lovera, Simone and Peña, Elías Díaz and Baltodano, Javier and Mann, Tim and Surya, Teguh}, title = {{redd: the realities in black and white}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/REDD-ingles-final-17-11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }