Claire Spoors was an activist at COP-15 with the group Global Witness, an organization which seeks to “expose the corrupt exploitation of natural resources and international trade systems, to drive campaigns that end impunity, resource-linked conflict, and human rights and environmental abuses.” At COP-15 she spoke with us about what it would take to successfully implement REDD programs; her group, Global Witness, has recently issued a report (June 3, 2010), which warns that corruption could undermine the success of these programs, and when she spoke with us in December, she made similar points. One of the key points made by the June 3rd report is that:
“REDD investment offers an unprecedented opportunity to reform forest management and prevent irreversible climate change. Up to 20% of global emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation, and REDD offers the potential both to reduce emissions and drive sustainable economic development in forest-rich economies.”
REDD programs’ inclusion in the Copenhagen Accord was, from the opinion of our research team, one of the principal advancements made this December. Ms. Spoors’ interview segments should, however, prove important to a dialogue on the recent funds pledged to REDD programs in the way of $4 billion; she preemptively warned that funding could do little to stave deforestation if governance and accountability were not improved.
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