REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. It’s a methodology for measuring the CO2 benefit of forests and unlocking funds for the protection of those forests. But it’s not working.
A rash of high-profile criticisms of REDD+ have undermined its credibility among carbon offset buyers and forest conservation practitioners. Refer to recent articles from The Guardian and Bloomberg for details.
The fundamental defect with REDD+ can be traced back to the convoluted concept of “avoided deforestation” and the speculative projections that are used to estimate it. As such, REDD+ calculations are based on hypothetical scenarios and counterfactual analysis — all of which is highly subjective. This opens the door for data manipulation and bias, inaccuracies, and over-estimation of climate benefits.