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Benjamin Stephan
NOT SEEING THE FOREST FORTHE CARBON IN THE TREES ?
The role of fighting tropical deforestationin global climate governance
(ITC/U Twente)
(ITC/U Twente)
(IO 9)(IISD)
(Conservation International)
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation and „the conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks“ (UNFCCC 2010, 1/CP16)
WHAT IS REDD+ ?
monetisation
Estimating the OpportunityCosts of REDD+A training manual
opportunity cost payments
WHAT IS REDD+ ?
carbon markets
(flickr: Baron Visuals)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
How can the massive attention and broad support for REDD+ be explained in light of the marginalised and
controversial role deforestation had during earlier phases of international climate negotiations ?
How is deforestation, and together with it the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, being made
governable through REDD+ ?
How is avoided deforestation transformed into carbon credits ?
THESIS
The Third Side of the Coin: Hegemony and governmentality in global climate politics1.
From Pariah to Messiah: Avoiding deforestation in international climate governance
2.
Bringing Discourse to the Market4.
3. Governing the Forest Frontier
How to trade „not cutting down trees“5.
DISCOURSE THEORYFo
ucau
lt
governmentality
Lacl
au
Mou
ffe
Hegemony & Discourse Theory
hegemony
the political
power
government
rationality
THE BROAD SUPPORT FOR REDD+
REDD+ = hegemonic projectchain of equivalence
REDD+ = floating signifier
REDD+ = HEGEMONIC PROJECT
(UN-REDD 2011)
BEYOND CARBONEcosystem-based benefits of REDD+
(UN-REDD 2011)
(UN-REDD 2011)
REDD+ = HEGEMONIC PROJECT
(UN-REDD 2011)
BEYOND CARBONEcosystem-based benefits of REDD+
(UN-REDD 2011)
(UN-REDD 2011)
‘Immediate action on REDD+ can catalyze accelerated national development in addition to curbing carbon emissions. Healthy forests sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services, ensuring clean water, productive soils, and protection against floods and droughts — helping countries adapt to climate change, food security and generally improving the wellbeing of people.‘ (UN-REDD 2010)
climatechange
deforestation= =biodiversityloss = poverty... ...
REDD+
antagonism
reducing emissions from deforestation = =biodiversity
protection = poverty alleviation
sustainable development... ...
humanwell-being=
REDD+‘S CHAIN OF EQUIVALENCE
Figure 4: (Co-)Benefits provided through REDD+11
Let us take a look back in time and compare the REDD+ discourse with the CDM discourse
with regard to the co-benefits narrative. We can quickly conclude that the notion of co-bene-fits is nothing new:
‘Brazil's Amazon forest has value not only because it offers protection from climate change as astorehouse and sink of carbon. It is also a rich repository of biodiversity and a means of sustain-able livelihoods for forest dwellers‘
(Dudek and LeBlanc, 1991)
‘… forest projects, if implemented appropriately, "may have social, economic and environment-al benefits beyond reductions in atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide)" These "ancillary benefits"also known as co-benefits, include the provision of employment opportunities and the protec-tion of vital plant and animal habitats.‘
(TNC, 2001)
water regulation
sustainable development
human well-being
culture & tradition
indigenous peoples‘rightslivelihoods
protection of habitat
food (security)
education
fire wood
jobs national security
air qualitygenetic ressources
health
pollination
social cohesionsurvial
resilience to climate change
clarification of land tenure
provision of livelihoods
protection of biodiversity
poverty reduction
energy
medicine
11. The figure is based on the corpus of documents and interview transcripts analysed for this paper. The different font sizes are used as a proxy for the prevalence of the respective issue within the discourse. This has been determined based on the frequency and the context of the articulations (e.g. summary for policy makers of a major international report or a press release of an environmental NGO).
From Pariah to Messiah 95
‘CO-BENEFITS‘ OF REDD+
REDD+ = FLOATING SIGNIFIER
market based
‘funding gap‘
REDD+
fund-based
= =
‘flooded carbon markets‘
‘risky‘ ‘unreliable‘
MORE THAN GOVERNING THROUGH MARKETS
‘The Tapuia, a fictional indigenous group based on a real tribe, lives on a legally protected reserve [in the Amazon]... the Tapuia have rights to REDD[+] credits for up to 100,000 tons of CO2 per year, depending both on how successful they are at keeping their reserve intact and on Brazil’s overall performance in curbing deforestation. After their project is certified by the Amazon Fund, the Space Research Agency monitors changes in land cover on Tapuia lands on behalf of the tribe... men from the Tapuia tribe patrolling the borders of their reserve find the tracks of a logger’s truck... Using their legal authority to control their reserve, the Tapuia radio the GPS coordinates of the logger’s trail to government agents who arrest the loggers, confiscate their equipment, and close the mill that had been pro- cessing the illegally harvested wood. The pick-up truck, fuel, GPS, and radio used by the Tapuia tribesmen are all paid for by the Tapuia REDD[+] project, which is certified under the Amazon Fund REDD[+] program, and paid for by investors...‘ (EDF 2009)
MORE THAN GOVERNING THROUGH MARKETS
IWGIA/AIPP
governing through markets
sovereign power
carbon panopticon
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forestsacred place
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
livelihood
sacred place
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
livelihood
sacred place
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
water reservoir
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
livelihood
sacred placecarbon sink
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
water reservoir
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
livelihood
sacred placecarbon sink
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
water reservoir
FOREST‘S FIELD OF DISCURSIVITY
forest
livelihood
sacred place carbon sink
site for commercialwood exploitation
biodiversityhotspot massive gene pool
water reservoir
tons of CO2eq
Forest‘s Field of Discursivity
forest carbon sink
coal fired powerplant in the UK
blast furnacein Germany
tons of CO2eq
Forest‘s Field of Discursivity
forest carbon sink
coal fired powerplant in the UK
blast furnacein Germany
wind farm in China
tons of CO2eq
Forest‘s Field of Discursivity
forest carbon sink
coal fired powerplant in the UK
blast furnacein Germany
cement plant in India
wind farm in China
tons of CO2eq
Carbonification of Forests
forest carbon sink
coal fired powerplant in the UK
blast furnacein Germany
cement plant in India
wind farm in China
WANT TO KNOW MORE ?
Methmann, C., Rothe, D. and Stephan, B. (eds), 2013, Interpretive Approaches to Global Climate Governance: Deconstructing the Greenhouse. London: Routledge