The Terrestrial Carbon Group - International Science, Economics and Policy to Support the Effective inclusion of Terrestrial Carbon in the Climage Change Solution

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Policy Brief 8: A System to Deliver Terrestrial Carbon Mitigation (REDD+ to AFOLU)
This Policy Brief is an edited extract from a report that describes what is needed in and for a flexible incentives system to deliver the mitigation potential of terrestrial carbon in developing countries. This Report identifies what needs to be done (the functions), by whom, and in what order, to create and maintain a flow of mitigation and incentives. By identifying the essential or optional elements, we can highlight a path for development and capacity building while policy decisions at the national and international level remain outstanding. This analysis was informed by, but not restricted to, REDD+ initiatives and proposals to date. In addition, precedents and lessons were taken from existing carbon incentive mechanisms and other analogous commodity trades.
Policy Brief 8: A System to Deliver Terrestrial Carbon Mitigation (REDD+ to AFOLU): Functions, Instituations, and Transition Pathways
Policy Brief 7: Roadmap for Terrestrial Carbon Science
In partnership with UN‐REDD agencies, the World Bank, and CGIAR institutions, the Terrestrial Carbon Group is assessing the scientific and technical advancements needed, globally and in specific regions, to maximize terrestrial carbon mitigation and to document and reward outcomes. Implementation of terrestrial carbon emission reduction and sequestration activities can and does occur across a wide range of geographic scales and land classes. This requires a coherent, integrated information base for effective land management practices that produce real increases in sequestration together with real reductions in GHG emissions from terrestrial sources, and, transparent, consistent, and comparable quantification of changes in carbon stocks.
Policy Brief 7: Roadmap for Terrestrial Carbon Science
Policy Brief 6: Estimating Terrestrial Carbon at Risk of Emission
This Policy Brief presents the results of eographically explicit analysis of the extent to which future pressures may lead to conversion of natural landscapes, both forested and non-forested, for agricultural purposes. It assesses where the greatest risk of conversion of the natural landscape for agricultural purposes lies, given the prevailing and projected legal, biophysical and projected economic conditions. Based on this, it assesses where conversion for agricultural purposes is likely to arise in the absence of an incentives system, and what volume of terrestrial carbon this represents. This analysis informs the question of incentive system scope by offering a long-term perspective of the net mitigation impact in the context of future land use change. It concludes that REDD+ will not achieve the necessary mitigation impact if it does not also address agriculture, at least as a driver of land use change.
Policy Brief 6: Estimating Terrestrial Carbon at Risk of Emission
The Role of Terrestrial Carbon in the Climate Change Solution: Where, Why and How - a Short Guide
Human-induced climate change is caused by the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases have only two other places to go: the oceans and the terrestrial system (including land and vegetation). This means that, if the world is serious about avoiding dangerous climate change, terrestrial carbon emissions and sequestration must be part of the solution. It means putting in place an effective new incentive system that takes a long-term view of where we are going and where we need to be. Drawing on the work of the Terrestrial Carbon Group Project for 2009, this short guide provides concise answers to important policy questions facing decision makers. It addresses pertinent issues such as how to make the transition from REDD+ to AFOLU, how to measure and monitor terrestrial carbon, what Copenhagen can deliver, and the work that needs to be done now and into the future.
The Role of Terrestrial Carbon in the Climate Change Solution: Where, Why and How - a Short Guide
Stated Positions of Countries and Country Groups
This table is based on an analysis of public written positions of countries and country groups as of 9 Oct 2009. Positions are sometimes ambiguous or open to interpretation , therefore we welcome clarifications.
Stated Positions of Countries and Country Groups
Policy Brief 5: Measuring and Monitoring Terrestrial Carbon as Part of "REDD+" MRV Systems
One of the key unresolved issues in the United Nations negotiations on the inclusion of terrestrial carbon (the carbon stored in the terrestrial system including trees, other vegetation, soil, and peatlands) in the climate change solution is how to ensure that real, quantifiable and comparable carbon emission reductions and sequestration take place. To meet international requirements, countries and on-the-ground implementers will need appropriate carbon measurement and monitoring methods. This Policy Brief summarises important aspects of key methods, including their maturity, cost, and availability. It also describes how policy choices determine measurement and monitoring quality, and input and capacity requirements, and provides recommendations to progress to full terrestrial carbon accounting. This Policy Brief is an edited extract from a report commissioned in conjunction with the UN-REDD Programme. It is part of a larger project led by the Terrestrial Carbon Group with its partners that will, by working with developing and developed countries and supporting institutions, produce a roadmap for filling gaps in the science of terrestrial carbon measurement, monitoring, and management by 2013.

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Policy Brief 4: Legal and Institutional Foundations for the National Implementation of REDD
This Policy Brief is an edited extract from a report that analysed the design and implementation issues related to national legal frameworks for reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation ("REDD"), broadly defined. The report reviewed existing approaches by developing and developed countries and drew out initial lessons and issues. It is the first stage in a proposed larger project that will, by working with developing and developed countries and supporting institutions, produce a package of "off the-shelf" legislative tools to assist countries take advantage of a range of possible REDD mechanisms. The package will consist of two main sections: (i) an options paper describing the initial policy decisions that a country will need to make before beginning national implementation, the main options available for each decision, and the implications of each option; and (ii) legislative building blocks that would be adapted by countries to local circumstances. The report was commissioned in conjunction with the UN-REDD Programme as the first stage in UNDP’s work on Governance MRV Frameworks under the UN-REDD Programme’s International Support.

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Policy Brief 3: Estimating Tropical Forest Carbon at Risk of Emission from Deforestation Globally
One of the key unresolved issues in the United Nations negotiations on the inclusion of terrestrial carbon in the climate change solution is how to set a so-called “reference emission level”. The Terrestrial Carbon Group supports the conceptual approach that reference emission levels should reflect business as usual into the future. This Policy Brief explains why we support this approach and outlines our methodology for estimating emissions (and setting reference emission levels) in line with it. We believe this methodology is replicable and scalable across nations, sub-national entities, and projects. For illustrative purposes, we have applied it in a standardized way across 73 non-Annex I tropical forest nations and this Policy Brief presents the results of doing so. We include estimates of (i) business as usual emissions from deforestation of the tropical forest at the regional and global level, and (ii) the impact, in terms of incentivised avoided emissions, of potential payments for carbon.

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Policy Brief 2: Tools for Setting Reference Emission Levels
One of the key unresolved issues in the United Nations negotiations on the inclusion of terrestrial carbon in the climate change solution is how to set a so-called “reference emission level”. This Policy Brief outlines the policy considerations facing decision-makers (including on scale, scope, and conceptual approach). In the context of those policy considerations, it then analyses various existing tools that can be used to set reference emission levels. Finally it draws conclusions about the ability of the existing tools to meet policy needs and about data that are required for setting reference emission levels regardless of the detailed rules.

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Policy Brief 1: Distribution of Terrestrial Carbon Across Developing Countries
Avoiding dangerous climate change requires tackling the emissions and harnessing the sequestration potential of terrestrial carbon. And to be effective, this needs to be done at scale. In this Policy Brief we analyse the volumes of what we term “volatile” terrestrial carbon across land types (forest and non-forest), carbon pools (vegetation and soil), regions, and country circumstances. For the resulting forest carbon volumes we also make some simple and transparent assumptions to calculate possible emissions of forest carbon over the next 40 years under various scenarios (none of which are predictions). We conclude that in respect of forest carbon, the international climate change response must encompass both vegetation and soil carbon pools. Further, it needs to be flexible enough to incentivise countries with a variety of forest circumstances and histories. Finally, although the carbon richness of forests and their current rate of decline mean that tackling emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is of paramount importance, it is only part of the story: the volumes of carbon in both the vegetation and soil of non-forested land implies that the international climate change response must encompass all sources and all sinks of terrestrial carbon, not just forests.

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