Search Climate Insights Directory

The document argues that Indonesia's current fiscal policies in the land use sector—including forestry, oil and gas, mining, and agriculture—incentivize land expansion over productivity, contributing to deforestation and emissions. It proposes three primary areas for reform: shifting revenue collection from production-based to land-size based levies, increasing tax revenue sharing for local governments to discourage land clearing, and earmarking Adjustment Funds for sustainable land use programs. A case study on the palm oil sector highlights a low tax-to-GDP ratio of approximately 3.4% and limited revenue redistribution to local governments, illustrating the potential for fiscal optimization.

The fact sheet highlights four key Brazilian policy innovations that reduced deforestation in the Amazon between 2004 and 2018 while agricultural GDP continued to grow. These include satellite monitoring (DETER), the identification of priority municipalities, conditional rural credit, and the creation of Conservation Units. The document asserts that these measures protect ecosystem services, combat crime, and facilitate access to international markets.

The document is a technical flowchart outlining the regulatory pathways for rural properties over four fiscal modules to achieve compliance with the Forest Code. It details the requirements for the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), and the Forest Recovery Plan (PRADA), while specifying different restoration and compensation options based on whether areas were consolidated before July 22, 2008.

The document argues that insecure land rights in Brazil lead to increased violence, deforestation, and agricultural inefficiency. It highlights that Brazil ranks 76th out of 129 countries for secure physical property rights, with significant portions of federal land in the Amazon illegally occupied. The insecurity is attributed to a complex institutional system involving 11 federal executive bodies, poor recordkeeping, and a lack of integrated databases. The text notes that 20% of Brazil's total area consists of vacant lands prone to illegal occupation and that land disputes resulted in 770 homicides between 1994 and 2015.

The document argues that the Brazilian Amazon's diverse ecological and productive capacities allow for a strategic reordering of land use, where agricultural productivity is increased in degraded areas while high-carbon-capture areas are restored. It proposes the Reversing Deforestation Mechanism (RDM), a jurisdictional payment-for-results system that remunerates net carbon removals from forest restoration. The report estimates that natural regeneration in deforested areas could capture up to 26 GtCO₂, with the RDM potentially generating US$ 784 billion over 30 years at a price of US$ 50 per ton of CO₂. This mechanism is presented as complementary to JREDD+ (focused on reducing deforestation) and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF, focused on maintaining standing forests), together forming a financial architecture to support Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The fact sheet analyzes three organizational models for smallholder oil palm farmers in Central Kalimantan: individual partnerships, cooperatives, and company-managed plasma schemes. It finds that larger, integrated models—specifically cooperatives and company-managed schemes—yield higher harvests and profits per hectare compared to individual partnerships. Cooperatives are highlighted as the most effective for risk management and farmer control, though they face institutional and financial barriers to establishment. Individual partnerships show the lowest performance, achieving only 52% of potential yields and facing high legal, supply, production, and market risks.

The document details the steps Brazilian rural landowners must take to comply with the 2012 Forest Code, focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). It distinguishes between large properties (over four fiscal modules) and small properties, highlighting a 'special regime' for land deforested before July 22, 2008. Key obstacles identified include a lack of state-level legislation, the high cost of technical expertise for landholders, and legal uncertainties regarding the constitutionality of the code and the regulation of Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRA).

The document outlines the environmental regularization process for rural properties in Brazil under the 2012 Forest Code, focusing on the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) and the Programa de Regularização Ambiental (PRA). It distinguishes between medium/large properties and small properties (up to four fiscal modules), highlighting the special regime for 'Consolidated Rural Areas' deforested before July 22, 2008. Key challenges identified include a lack of state-level regulation for PRAs, legal insecurity due to constitutional challenges (ADIs), and the high cost of technical assistance for landowners.

The report identifies a significant opportunity for carbon capture in the Brazilian Amazon, estimating that natural regeneration of deforested areas could sequester up to 26 GtCO₂. It proposes the Reversing Deforestation Mechanism (RDM), a jurisdictional results-based payment system, which could mobilize up to US$ 784 billion over 30 years at a carbon price of US$ 50 per ton. The RDM is presented as a complementary tool alongside JREDD+ (focused on reducing deforestation) and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF, focused on conserving standing forests) to help Brazil meet its NDC targets and transition to a low-carbon economy.

The document critiques agricultural carbon offsets, stating they risk harming farmers' autonomy, fail to provide permanent carbon sequestration, and may actually increase overall emissions. It recommends that governments and international bodies exclude land-based offsets from carbon markets and instead fund agroecological transitions.

The document evaluates the Paris Agreement as a positive step that increased global ambition to limit warming to 1.5ºC, though it notes that current Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) remain inadequate. It details the creation of three frameworks under Article 6 for carbon markets and non-market approaches, while warning against the use of temporary land-use carbon sequestration to justify continued fossil pollution. The analysis highlights gaps in climate finance, the lack of explicit mandates for international aviation and shipping, and the historic inclusion of human rights in the preamble.

The report finds that while a majority of Indonesians are worried about global warming, deforestation, and forest fires, there is a significant lack of basic knowledge regarding the definition and causes of climate change. Most respondents feel a strong moral obligation to protect the environment and believe in collective efficacy, yet very few engage in active environmental or political activism.

The document critiques the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), stating that it subsidizes industrial farming, pollution, and the destruction of biodiversity. It highlights the inefficiency of intensive meat production, the prevalence of pesticide residues in produce, and the environmental damage caused by tobacco and olive intensification. The authors propose a shift toward eco-conditionality for payments, the abolition of export subsidies, and the prioritization of small-scale organic farming and local markets.

Friends of the Earth Europe asserts that the EU is economically vulnerable due to its high dependence on imported resources and a lack of measurement tools to track resource use. The report proposes four specific indicators—land, materials, water, and greenhouse gas emissions—to measure the EU's total resource footprint, including imported goods. It highlights the social and environmental costs of overconsumption, such as human rights abuses in Indonesia's palm oil sector and energy poverty within Europe, while criticizing the EU's Raw Materials Initiative for prioritizing resource access over efficiency.

The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) is a statement of commitment to protect global forests, citing their role in supporting 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and absorbing carbon. The declaration sets specific targets for 2030, including halting natural forest loss, restoring 350 million hectares of degraded land, and reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. It emphasizes the necessity of including indigenous peoples and local communities in governance and solutions to achieve these goals, which could mitigate 7.8 to 11.0 billion tonnes of CO2e annually by 2030.

The document outlines the role of forests in climate adaptation and mitigation, identifies strategic intervention areas such as forest restoration and 'zero-deforestation' supply chains, and defines the criteria for a 'paradigm shift' in land use. It provides a performance measurement framework with specific indicators for GCF-level impacts and project results, alongside a matrix of eligible and ineligible activities for the SAP.

The document outlines the technical requirements and strategic approach for GCF projects focusing on land use and forest resources via the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It emphasizes the dual role of forests in climate adaptation and mitigation, highlighting the importance of carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. The guide identifies key intervention areas—including forest restoration, sustainable management of protected areas, deforestation-free supply chains, and REDD+—and provides a framework for measuring impact through specific quantitative and qualitative indicators. It argues for a 'paradigm shift' that decouples economic growth from forest consumption and encourages innovative private sector financing to overcome investment barriers in nature-based solutions.

The GCF EFA Guidance outlines the methodologies for performing financial analysis (from an investor's perspective) and economic analysis (from a societal perspective) to support the assessment of GCF investment criteria. It provides sector-specific recommendations for areas such as transport, water security, energy efficiency, and agriculture, while detailing the required profitability indicators, baseline scenario development, and sensitivity analysis needed for project appraisal.

Global Witness calls on the US Congress and the Biden administration to prioritize global forest protection by passing a strengthened FOREST Act and regulating the financial sector. The author highlights that up to 40% of US GDP is linked to sectors with high climate-related forest and land use risks, and that $5 billion in raw commodities were imported from high-risk countries in 2020. The document advocates for a regulatory approach that covers both legal and illegal deforestation, includes Indigenous communities in negotiations, and addresses the failure of non-binding financial commitments, such as those within the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ).

The Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) is a UK-funded global programme, led in South Africa by NBI and GreenCape, that provides technical, financial, and social inclusion support to low-carbon projects to improve their bankability. The programme does not provide direct funding but facilitates connections between project developers and commercial or concessional investors. Eligible projects must be at least at the pre-feasibility stage, have a financing need between USD $5m and $150m, and demonstrate measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions.