This post was written by Akane Hanai, a UN Volunteer working in Viet Nam on the UN-REDD Programme as a Programme Specialist with a Master of Arts in Environmental and Resource Policy from George Washington University. 

It’s been almost eight months since I got  involved in the UN-REDD programme in Viet Nam.  For my first post, I introduced the definition of REDD+. In this posting, I’d like to explore the components of REDD+ in general. I will talk about actual implementation in Viet Nam in the next posting.

Reducing GHG emissions through afforestation and reforestation projects is being implemented under the scheme of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM; 日本語はこちら), which was defined in the Kyoto Protocol. REDD+ is also aiming for developing countries to generate carbon credits and invest this revenue in a low carbon economy with green growth at the end. However, while CDM projects are limited to using public funding and being deployed at the project level, the process of implementing REDD+ involves assistance from not only the private sector but also bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors to help developing countries build carbon offset mechanisms at the national level.

Moreover, REDD+ implementation would be beneficial not only for raising carbon credits and reducing emissions but also for improving sustainable forest management and solving various social issues rooted within the forest community such as poverty, land rights of ethnic minorities and gender equality among forest dependent people. The REDD+ concept needs to be understood by forest dependent people so as to get them to participate in forest protection activities. In order to acquire such peoples’ commitment, a robust Benefit Distribution System (BDS) should be designed with considerations of transparency, mechanisms for recourse, and equity.

Having a good Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system is also necessary for REDD+ to be successful. Once REL (Reference Emission Level; the predicted emissions level in the future without REDD+) is established, the project has to keep track of how much emissions could be reserved. Both satellite images and detailed information about land uses through ground activities would be combined to generate forest maps. Advanced technology for data accuracy and institutional capacity building to utilize these data are required at the same time.

The challenging thing for REDD+ is that negotiations and discussions about concrete guidelines for safeguards and methodology of BDS and MRV are still under development at the international level. Successful REDD+ implementation depends on countries’ willingness to establish a comprehensive network including relevant fields related to REDD+ nationwide, while maintaining some flexibility to adopt ongoing international agreements.

私がベトナムの国連REDD+プログラムに従事し始めてから、早８ヶ月が過ぎようとしている。本プログラムに関わる前に投稿した記事ではREDD+に関する定義を紹介したが、本投稿ではREDD+の概要、次回はベトナムでの実際の取り組み状況について紹介したい。

植林、再植林を通じた温暖化ガス削減は、京都議定書で定められているCDMプロジェクトスキームによって既に実施されている。REDD+も、最終的に炭素クレジットを生み出し、途上国の低炭素社会の実現を目指すという点ではCDMと共通している。しかし、CDMプロジェクトはODA(政府開発援助)といった公的資金の使用が制限され、プロジェクトレベルで実施されているのに対し、REDD+は民間資金に加え、二国間、多国間支援の下、途上国が国レベルで森林保護対策を実施し、排出権取引に向けた制度構築を目指している。

さらにREDD+の実施には、単に炭素クレジットを生み出し温暖化ガス排出を抑制するだけではなく、持続可能な森林保護、また多くの途上国の森林エリアにおいて課題となっている貧困、先住民の土地所有、ジェンダー等の社会問題解決に取り組むことが期待されている。REDD+の目的が正しく森林エリアの住民に理解され、森林保護の活動に参加してもらうこと、また継続的な活動を支えるための、透明性および公正性を保った利益分配システムの構築が必要不可欠である。

測定・報告・検証システムの確立も重要である。参照排出レベル(REDD+が実施されなかった場合の、想定される未来の排出量)を算出後、プロジェクトがどれだけ排出量を抑制できたかを測定する必要がある。その測定方法として、衛星からの映像と地上での詳細な土地利用のデータを統合して森林マップを作成する方法があるが、データの正確性を実現する最新の技術、データを扱う機関と人の能力強化が欠かせない。

REDD+を実施していく中で、MRV、BDS等に関する最終的な方法論がまだ国際的な合意に至っていないのも大きな課題である。今後REDD+実施を成功させていくためには、これから決定していく国際的な取り決めを取り入れつつ、REDD+に関わる様々な分野を巻き込んだ、国レベルでの包括的な組織作りが鍵となるであろう。

Services that let people rent textbooks and movies form an important part of the collaborative consumption trend, according to the Huffington Post. It also comprises the repeated resale of used items, like clothing for children. Many young children can use such clothes before they wear out. Some companies rent items to people, while others facilitate the renting or sharing of items among individuals.

Agence France-Presse recently reported that many new companies have applied business models based upon collaborative consumption. Businesses can generate income by helping people exchange labor or rent out possessions. They earn money through commissions, fees or advertising revenue. Some of these companies have become very successful in a relatively short time.

Institutions and businesses are even saving money by utilizing their own form of collaborative consumption, according to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Many internet companies share the same computer servers, for example. Such practices even benefit competitors; it’s not uncommon for the same airplane to carry packages for both FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service.

The concept of collaborative consumption offers a variety of benefits. It generally reduces costs for the renter or borrower and helps the owner of an item pay for its maintenance. Fewer people must shoulder the burden of individually paying for, maintaining and storing a possession. In addition,it reduces the need for individuals to clutter their homes and garages with countless items that they seldom use.

In contrast to overconsumption, collaborative consumption also fosters a sense of community while reducing the number of items that enter incinerators and landfills. Vehicle sharing reduces the congestion of roads and parking lots. Collaborative consumption also decreases the need for environmentally harmful mining and logging.

People are often led to believe that the economy can only benefit from rapid consumption of new products. However, many major corporations have achieved success by renting items to the public. This business model generates long-term income from each item, rather than one-time earnings that rely upon frequent sales. It proves more sustainable than overconsumption built on debt and marketing hype.

One sample of collaborative consumption involves a group of several neighbors who share a lawn mower. Each person contributes to the cost of maintenance and fuel. This saves money while reducing the amount of storage space they need. It’s possible to apply this on a for-profit basis; one company recently started using Internet-based reservations to rent rowboats by the hour.

The economic recession and the rise of the internet have helped to promote a revival of sharing practices, both for personal convenience and monetary gain. This concept involves activities ranging from traveling by bus to using a toy library. Collaborative consumption may offer the best way for people to meet their needs without indebting themselves or pillaging the environment.

[Image source]

Elaine Hirsch is currently working as a writer for various education-related sites and writing about topics ranging from history to medicine and videogames.

Our global society thinks of THE environment. THE environment frames our supportive life systems as an IT, a THING. THE environment is something separate from ourselves. References to THE environment can be something one care’s about on par with caring about THE schools, THE health care system and other progressive issues.

But what if we were to change that little article THE to OUR? Our environment is a more powerful, more intimate connection. Our environment is in trouble, it is our soil, our air, our fresh water which we depend on. In that context everyone is an environmentalist, because it is ours and no one is exempt from caring for what sustains us.

Once we attach ourselves psychologically to OUR earth, we are more likely to envision an active role in acts of sustainability.

When we change this small word we create the possibility that people can hear our messages. The other word we need to use is frequently is LIMITED. We live in a place of LIMITED resources. When we understand that we have a limited world, with finite amounts of fossil fuels, rubber, water etc, we will understand that the worse thing we can do is permit an unlimited demand on them. Growth will become the buzz word for disaster, instead of the buzz word for good news.

When we overgrow, we overspend our limited resource “accounts”. The concept of “Overpopulation” still lives under the shadow of age old taboos, but it could come out of the closet and stand tall as a story that is real and in need of our attention.

When “limited” becomes the adjective attached to the vocabulary of our resources, we just might begin to see the foolishness of worshiping growth on a limited earth. When we can understand the suffering that can be prevented by limiting our numbers on a limited earth we will be able to truly make a positive difference on OUR planet.

[Image created at Wordle]

Reaching adult audiences with environmental education is one of my favorite challenges as a Naturalist at Wood Lake Nature Center. Adults are often a fickle audience who are pulled in many directions, so wrangling them in for an environmental education program can be tough but not impossible. Seven years ago I created an environmental book club and after reading over 60 books it is still going strong! Each month a group of adults get together for an engaging discussion that focuses on environmental issues, nature, and outdoor adventures.

The book club model has worked because it provides an opportunity for adults to use critical thinking skills in discussing what are often complex and timely environmental issues. Frequently, presentations, guest speakers, videos, and photos enhance our discussions. Participants also have the opportunity to share their opinions, stories, and questions. The book club model has also allowed for a wide variety of issues to be explored.

Communication with participants is done through a monthly email. All books are available through the library and are regularly suggested by the group. We have read many of the classics as well as recently published books to better understand where we have been and where we are going in understanding the natural world around us.

The following are our most recent reads:

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle By Barbara Kingsolver
• Under a Flaming Sky By Daniel James Brown
• Four Fish By Paul Greenberg
• The Wild Muir By Lee Stetson

We are starting the New Year with an older classic, Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner. For a complete list of books that have been read or questions please email Amy Markle.

Amy Markle is a Naturalist at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis.

By Guest Author Christine Manger

There are many products in today’s marketplace that claim to be healthy, safe and green, including products for our pets. Recently, I was given a bag of World’s Best Cat Litter (WBCL), a 100% all natural litter made from whole kernel corn, for my cat Peaches to test and “review”. At 10 years old, Peaches is somewhat set in her ways so I wasn’t sure she would adapt to a new brand of litter, especially one with a different texture, larger pellets and a corn-like smell. Initially (as suggested on the package), I gradually mixed in WBCL with her current brand and there was no negative reaction. After a couple of days I was using just the new litter. Peaches’ first reaction was to sniff and walk away but after doing this three times in a half hour, she decided to give it a try and used WBCL without hesitation.

World’s Best Cat Litter has several positives. It clumps extremely well and is easy to scoop and I really liked the fact there was less sticking to the sides of the litter box. Odor control is very good, with less ammonia smell. I noticed less dust in the air also; no silica dust (like clay litters) for your pet or you to breathe. WBCL is biodegradable and claims to be septic safe and flushable but I did not test this aspect of the product.

Cost could be a negative for some in using this product. The initial cost is higher than most litter brands (more than twice the cost per pound of Peaches’ current litter). But, one 7 pound bag claims to last up to 30 days for one cat, much longer than most other clumping litters. Clumping on contact helps keep the rest of the litter dryer for a longer period of time.

So, if you are looking for a pet, people, and planet safe product, made from all-natural ingredients and renewable whole-kernel corn, give World’s Best Cat Litter a try. Check out their website, www.worldsbestcatlitter.com for more information and coupons. Tell them Peaches sent you.

*Another coupon – for $3 off any size bag of Scented Multiple Cat Clumping formula – is available on their Facebook page under the “Scented Formula Coupon” tab on the left underneath their profile.