Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? At the third-annual Forest Day event, held during the Cop15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, attendees were a buzz about going green and making green, all with a new forestry protocol called REDD. Given that many believe a cap and trade system is eminent, REDD offers opportunities to create inexpensive carbon credits that can be sold to companies who exceed their emissions allowances. This potential doesn’t come without some concerns. In her welcoming remarks, Frances Seymour, Director General for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) encouraged the audience to think bigger then carbon. “We need to look at forests as more than just carbon storage and talk about biodiversity retention, indigenous people’s rights and other issues,” said Seymour.

For Indonesian farmers, burning down rain forests is the cheapest and fastest way to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations. The millions of acres (hectares) they burn every year has made their Southeast Asian nation the world’s third-largest producer of greenhouse gases. And, environmentalists warn, the powerful forestry and agricultural industry will likely stymie any efforts to crack down. As difficult as it may be to hammer out a global climate deal in Copenhagen, implementing one could prove even harder. “But I think everybody has yet to realize how difficult this is going to be,” said Frances Seymour, director-general of the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research.

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An MOU regarding cooperation on the fight against climate change, protection of diversity and sustainable development was signed on November 8, 09 between the Governments of Guyana and Norway. These two countries intend to set up a Guyana REDD Investment Fund (GRIF) which will receive result-based funds from Norway and other subscribers to the fund. The project will come under the control of the Centre of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the UN FAO plus relevant legislation, policies and processes in Guyana. This forum will develop transparency, rules, forest governance, accountability and enforcement.

Most of the headlines at climate talks have revolved around greenhouse gases that come from coal, oil and other fossil fuels. But the destruction of forests — burning or cutting trees to clear land for plantations or cattle ranches is thought to account for about 20 percent of global emissions. That’s as much carbon dioxide as all the world’s cars, trucks, trains, planes and ships combined. Louis Verchot, who is following the forest talks for the Center for International Forest Research, said he was concerned that the weaker targets and lack of financing in the deforestation agreement could delay its implementation in some countries.

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From out of Ayn Rand’s 1957 masterpiece, ATLAS SHRUGGED and, intruding into the business meeting of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, CGIAR held 7-8 December 2009 at the International Monetary Fund Headquarters, he spoke about the poor farmers as a new engine of economic growth. A climate change. The poor we shall not always have with us. A primate change. Katherine Sierra, Chair of the CGIAR, would know that the group will never be the same again. I n essence, Atlas said: “We need the rich creative minds of business working with the poor productive bodies of farmers to design and build a brave new world in the midst of climate change.” Audacious, original. The words are mine but the thought is that of the one and only William “Bill” Gates, once CEO of Microsoft.

Colombia and other developing countries traded between $ 15 and 25 billion annually to care for forests. With a call to approve the initiative of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDDplus) in negotiations to combat climate change that take place in Copenhagen, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR, by its initials in English ) in the Danish capital launched a study on the possibility of reversing the decline of forests through payments to developing countries for the maintenance of these ecosystems.

A proposal at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen that poor countries be paid for planting trees could spur Kenya’s efforts to reclaim her forests.The agreement to cut carbon emissions by paying developing countries to maintain their forests has the potential to reverse the decline in the world’s forests, according to a comprehensive analysis of national policy options to reduce deforestation released Thursday by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

According to the Climate Action Network International network (CAN), which comprises 500 organizations, the current goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 20% compared to 1990 posses no additional effort for the Union and is “entirely inadequate” to limit global warming two degrees. The CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Francis Seymour, today demanded the creation of a ‘global mechanism’ to pay developing countries to protect forests and reduce emissions REDD.