Latest news with #forestprotection
E&E News
3 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
Study casts further doubt on the voluntary carbon market
A major global carbon market is facing renewed scrutiny with a new study questioning the credibility of auditors who decide the validity of projects that claim to help fight climate change. Auditors are a key part of the world's voluntary carbon market system, which lets major polluters unofficially offset their greenhouse gas emissions by funding projects such as forest protection. Although independent auditors are supposed to assess whether the projects actually are helpful, a recent study posted on the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School research site says they aren't. Advertisement The study says the system for how auditors are paid creates a conflict of interest that encourages them to approve projects.
Bloomberg
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
EU Nations Call for Simplifying, Delaying Deforestation Rules
Several European Union members are asking the bloc's executive to further simplify and delay the application of rules aimed at curbing global deforestation to reduce red tape for more compliant nations. The regulation in its current form does not sufficiently take into account countries with effective forest protection laws and a negligible risk of causing deforestation, according to a letter from 18 of the 27 member states, including Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Hungary, and Sweden, addressed to the European Commission on Monday.
Zawya
01-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
North Africa: Green Climate Fund approves a record $300 million for Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)-designed projects in Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia and the Sahel
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved projects worth more than $300 million that will protect forests in Papua New Guinea, promote sustainable fisheries in Saint Lucia, and help grow Africa's Great Green Wall. The initiatives, designed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), were greenlighted at the 42nd meeting of the GCF Board, held in the Papua New Guinea capital from June 30 to July 3. It represents the highest-value batch of such approvals to date. 'Through sustainable forestry management, fisheries transformation and land restoration, these FAO-designed projects will make a significant difference to the lives and livelihood of these vulnerable communities, especially in the current global context of overlapping and complex crises due to climate extremes and other shocks,' said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. 'FAO appreciates the unwavering trust that the GCF and Member Countries place in FAO's professional capacity to provide the required technical expertise to strengthen resilience and safeguard the livelihoods of the most vulnerable,' he added. 'The FAO-GCF partnership continues to be critical for the climate investments in agrifood systems required to deliver science-based concrete solutions to countries and communities where they are needed most, leaving no one behind.' All three approvals were outcomes of successful FAO-led GCF readiness projects, as well as other long-standing technical collaborations, which unlocked the resources countries needed to pursue more ambitious climate projects. Papua New Guinea FAO has supported the country to design a high-impact climate project, within the framework of GCF's pilot programme for results-based payments, that will direct investments worth $63.4 million into Papua New Guinea's sustainable forest management activities. This substantial GCF investment recognizes the Government's achievements in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) during the 2014-2016 period – comparable to taking over 3 million cars off the road for a year. Funding for the project falls under the initiative known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), and will support the Government's efforts to conserve forests and implement the National REDD+ Strategy 2017–2027. Papua New Guinea has been an advocate for the REDD+ global process since its very inception in 2008. The country has kept forest conservation and reducing emissions from the forest sector high on the national and global agenda including through support from FAO and the UN-REDD programme. The investments seek to promote a virtuous cycle of emission reductions by promoting agroforestry, sustainable fuelwood and charcoal production, community pole and timber plantations, the restoration of natural forest, and more. The project will place special emphasis on the social dimension, prompting benefit sharing, encouraging stakeholder engagement, and strengthening both local and national capacities. Papua New Guinea's tropical rainforests – of which three-quarters are primary forests – cover 78 percent of the country's land, making it a global biodiversity hotspot. The forests are home to 191 species of mammals, and 750 species of bird. They also serve as vital carbon sinks, storing large amounts of carbon in above-ground biomass and soil. Saint Lucia The FISH-ADAPT project in Saint Lucia, with an investment of $16.7 million, has been designed to reduce the risks that climate change poses to the fishing and aquaculture sectors in this Small Island Developing State located in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The project aims to transform Saint Lucia's fisheries sector by making fishing safer and more productive despite a changing climate. It will foster a circular economy to help reduce waste, enhance resource efficiency, and promote livelihood diversification for more resilient communities. Fish value chains and markets will be strengthened; coastal fish grounds and aquaculture systems will become more climate resilient; and fishers will have more diversified incomes. The initiative will put in place agrifood solutions that build sustainability and resilience to improve efficiency, safety and productivity in the fisheries sector. These include empowering fishers and aquaculture farmers by enhancing access to weather data, upgrading landing sites and promoting sustainable offshore fishing. Saint Lucia's geographic position and socio-economic dependence on the fisheries sector make it especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Fisherfolk who rely on the sea for their livelihoods are finding it increasingly difficult to adapt to a changing climate and declining fish stocks. Increased air temperature and changing rainfall patterns have also been affecting inland aquaculture. Considering these challenges, FISH-ADAPT will target approximately 75,000 beneficiaries – about 41 percent of the population – including marine fishers, sea-moss farmers, fish vendors and processors, and inland aquaculture farmers. The Sahel The Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa's Great Green Wall (SURAGGWA), with an investment of $222 million, will support livelihoods of agropastoral and pastoral communities living in the Sahel's semi-arid regions, who are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The initiative is FAO's first multi-country proposal and the largest funding request ever submitted on behalf of its Member Countries. It builds on the extensive work done by FAO on the Great Green Wall initiative, in particular the Action Against Desertification Programme. The initiative will seek to scale up successful land restoration practices using a diversity of native species to increase livelihood resilience while also sequestering carbon. It will develop value chains for climate-resilient and low-emission non-timber forest products, supporting the livelihoods and food security of vulnerable communities. Another key aspect of the project will be to strengthen national and regional Great Green Wall institutions to ensure the sustainability and coordination of interventions and monitoring of restoration results as well as mobilizing additional resources including through climate change adaptation and mitigation financing mechanisms. The SURAGGWA Programme will advance the African Union's ambitions to transform Sahelian landscapes by restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land and creating 10 million jobs. Working with smallholder farmers and pastoralist communities, it will also build resilience and contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration in restored lands across the eight participating countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal). A quarter of the 100 million people who live in the Sahel rely on pastoralist livelihoods. Poverty, social tensions, and climate change put additional strain on herders and farmers who already compete for limited resources and land. Agriculture, livestock and forestry activities are the foundation of their economies and more than 70 per cent of rural communities depend directly on rainfed agriculture. The FAO–GCF partnership The new approvals raise FAO's GCF portfolio to over $1.8 billion, with climate investments delivering sustainable agrifood system solutions to the countries and communities where they are needed most. You can read more about FAO's partnership with GCF here. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfires in Western Canada have Maritimers mindful of warm, dry conditions
Some Cape Bretoners are wary of possible wildfires as the Maritimes faces a dry week. With intense wildfires still burning in Western Canada, a Cape Bretoner who experienced a similar disaster said on Tuesday that he knows first-hand what it feels like to be dealing with that kind of danger. 'For me, it was a life-changing experience,' said Rick Chezenko of Sydney, who lived through the Fort McMurray, Alta. wildfires in 2016. 'It's quite a terrifying endeavour.' With a stretch of warm, dry weather this week here in the Maritimes, Chezenko said what's happening in western Canada now is a reminder of how quickly these fires can spread. 'It has happened here before, and it could happen here again with the weather changing constantly,' Chezenko said. Just last week, a wildfire in Framboise, N.S. in Richmond County burned up 15 hectares and destroyed a vacant trailer. It was contained within 24 hours. Richmond County wildfire A wildfire in Richmond County, N.S. broke out Thursday, May 29, 2025. Deputy fire chief, Craig MacNeil, was part of a crew that responded from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. He says this time of year it's important for both fire officials - and the public - to be mindful of the conditions. 'It's been worse in recent years, but I think it's due to the hurricane [Fiona in 2022] and the amount of fuel that is laying around the floor of the forest right now,' MacNeil said. Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection for Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, said while most of the province is in a low-to-moderate forest fire risk right now - things can change quickly. 'We do expect that the risk will increase through the week,' Tingley said. 'Even though we might have had significant rainfall, those hot, dry days can result in what we call the 'fine fuels' - the twigs, any dry grass that is out there, all the lighter things - they dry out very quickly.' CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell said a haze of wildfire smoke from the Prairies moved in aloft of the Maritimes over the weekend. He added that while the smoke is thin and high enough not to impact air quality here, more could arrive from the west Wednesday and Thursday. Chezenko, meanwhile, still has vivid memories of having to escape the Fort McMurray fires and said people should take precautions and follow the rules. 'I've seen how fast these fires can move, and it's crazy,' Chezenko said. The European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday that smoke from the wildfires out west has reached some parts of northwestern Europe. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
31-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Quebec lifts ban on open fires in forests
The Ministry of Public Safety lifted the ban on open fires in or near forests. The measure had been in effect since Wednesday in regions north of Quebec City. Open fires were prohibited in certain areas of Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. The ban was lifted at 8 p.m. on Friday. The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) reported on Saturday that there were no active forest fires in Quebec's intensive protection zone. Since the start of the protection season, 104 fires have affected 105.8 hectares in the intensive zone, according to SOPFEU. 'The average for the last 10 years on the same date is 195 fires affecting 253.8 hectares of forest,' SOPFEU said in a news release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French May 31, 2025.
