This week, the Rainforest Alliance sent a delegation of its leading climate, sustainable forestry and sustainable agriculture experts to the United Nations Paris climate talks (COP21), which run November 30 through December 11. They are available for comment and interviews before, during and after the COP.
In Paris these experts will be arguing that a climate agreement goes beyond reducing emissions from fossil fuels. While those reductions are critical, we can’t keep global warming to 2 degrees Celsius without also reducing climate impacts from deforestation, agriculture and other land use. They account for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, including 10-11% from deforestation and 10-12% from agriculture. That makes the land sector a key piece of the climate puzzle. Globally it’s the second largest emitter of GHG after the fossil-fueled energy sector. In most of the world—nearly 60 developing countries—deforestation plus agriculture generate far more GHG emissions than burning fossil fuels.
Sustainable forestry and agriculture practices can greatly reduce those emissions, and result in surprising global-scale climate impacts. For example, forests titled to local communities and indigenous people store 37.7 billion metric tons of carbon. That’s the equivalent of the annual CO2 emissions of all passenger vehicles in the world, multiplied 29 times. Empowering them to manage their forests sustainably through programs like REDD+ and other national and regional efforts could help keep that carbon out of the atmosphere. (Source: WRI report on community forestry)
Who?
The following expert sources who are part of the Rainforest Alliance delegation to Paris can discuss of COP21 negotiations’ prospects, progress and outcomes, both with respect to forestry and agriculture, and in general.
- Ana Paula Tavares, Interim President
- Richard Donovan, Senior Vice President and Vice President of Forestry
- Jeff Hayward, Director, Climate Program
- Edward Millard, Director, Strategic Partnerships
- Dominique Gangneux, Vice President, Markets Transformation
- Martin Noponen, Sr. Manager Climate (Europe)
- José Román Carrera, Regional Manager for TREES Program in Central America
- Eric Servat, Manager, Sustainable Value Chains
- Cam Moore, Associate Manager, Carbon Unit
When and Where?
These sources and experts are available for remote or in-person interviews. To connect with them at COP21 in Paris, stop by the Rainforest Alliance booth in the main UN exhibit area, and/or contact Donita Dooley, (+1-917-653-8453), ddooley@ra.org. They will also be hosting and presenting at several COP21 events highlighting the importance of fighting deforestation, sustainable land management and climate-smart agriculture.
Some of the above sources will also be available from New York, Washington DC, London and other cities at different times during, before and after the COP. To arrange interviews from those cities, please contact Donita Dooley.