United Nations Agreement Takes Action Against Deforestation

"A surprise deal emerged from U.N. climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, this week: Diplomats managed to reach a key agreement [pdf] to compensate developing nations that agree to preserve their forests," reports John Light.

"This week’s agreement straightens out some key details of an initiative  — called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD+ — that negotiators hope will provide developing, forest-rich countries with incentives to slow and eventually halt logging of forested land."

"The money for the incentives for countries to leave forests alone could come from either the private sector or groups like the World Bank or the U.N.’s struggling Green Climate Fund," reports Light, although some of the plan's details on financing must still be finalized.

According to Light, for environmentalists tracking the progress of the United Nations toward an anticipated climate change initiative, the deforestation agreement stood out as a strong success. REDD+ had been in the works for ten years while it struggled to address the needs of indigenous people.

Another article in Reuters also details the deforestation deal.