Forest and Carbon Markets: Opportunities for Sustainable Development

S. Brown and T. Pearson. 2009. Forest and Carbon Markets: Opportunities for Sustainable Development. In: Climate Change Policy: Recommendations to Reach Consensus. 2009 Brookings Blum Roundtable “Climate Crisis, Credit Crisis.” Brookings Institution P. 35-41.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports clearly show that there is significant potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively from changes in how humans use and manage forests. Yet, here we are almost a decade after the Kyoto Protocol was ratified with little adoption of forest carbon CDM projects for compliance by Annex 1 countries for a variety of reasons that will be presented here. What lessons have we learned from the dismal use of forest carbon markets for mitigating emissions and how can we use the lessons in the new discussions ongoing for a post-Kyoto agreement?