This is an incomplete post salvaged from the internet archive.

-by Alex

On Thursday the Contact Group of The Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) met to discuss the next steps in achieving their two year mandate in ‘reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries’. The chairs of the contact group, Mr. Hernan Carlino from Argentina and Mr. Audun Rosland from Norway, presented a draft text to work from. This text sought a compromise between the positions expressed earlier this week in the SBSTA plenary, mainly between the US wanting to take more time whereas most parties wanted to work on goals and policies. The text called for a second workshop to be held before SBSTA 26 (COP 13) where participants “should continue discussing the range of specific topics requested by SBSTA…in relation to specific possible approaches to be considered under the UNFCCC.” Chairman Rosland explained that dealing with the methodological issues of addressing deforestation emissions is difficult if they do not relate to specific goals. While this doesn’t explicitly say they would look at policy options it is implied that actionable items would be the objective and they would be linked to methodology.

To understand the context behind these discussions the Brazilian situation is a good place to start. According to Carlos Ritti, Greenpeace Climate Campaign Coordinator of Brazil, 17% of the Brazilian Amazon has already been lost. If we reach 20% forest loss the feedbacks intensify and speed up deforestation. If we reach 40% forest loss in the Amazon it is already too late: the impact will be a new regional climate that will transform the landscape of the once lush Amazon into that of a Savannah. In his opinion there isn’t much time left, we need a framework to address deforestation by the next COP.