Forests and Climate Change - United Nations

1 Background Analytical Study Forests and Climate Change Duncan Bracki Background study prepared for the fourteenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests March 2019 In response to paragraph 31 of resolution 13/1, the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat commissioned three background analytical studies on the contribution of Forests to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals under review by the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2019 in consultation with the Bureau of the fourteenth session of the Forum, taking into account the thematic priorities of the fourteenth session. The studies are: (a) Forests and Climate Change ; (b) Forests , inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment; and (c) Forests , peaceful and inclusive societies, reduced inequality and inclusive institutions at all levels.

2 The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Secretariat. The designations and terminology employed may not conform to United Nations practice and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization. Forests and SDG13 | March 2019 Page | 2 Contents 1 Introduction ..3 2 Background: Forests and Climate Change ..5 Role of Forests and their ecosystem services in Climate systems: carbon ..5 Other roles of Forests and their ecosystem services in Climate systems ..11 Impacts of Climate Change on Forests ..12 3 Forests in the Climate agreements ..18 Reporting and accounting for forest carbon stocks and emissions ..18 Forests in the Paris Agreement ..19 The Climate agreements and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests ..21 4 Forests and Climate mitigation.

3 23 Reducing pressures on Forests : REDD+ ..27 Reducing pressures on Forests : agricultural commodity supply chain initiatives ..29 Sustainable forest management ..32 Increasing forest cover ..35 Increasing the value of Forests : promoting sustainably produced wood products ..38 Wood for energy ..40 5 Forests and Climate adaptation ..44 Forests for adaptation ..44 Adaptation for Forests ..46 6 Underlying requirements: finance and governance ..48 Finance ..48 Forest governance ..51 7 Conclusions and recommendations ..55 Forests and SDG13 | March 2019 Page | 3 1 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to provide background analysis on the critical role played by healthy and resilient Forests in Climate Change mitigation and adaptation. As the largest storehouse of carbon after the oceans, Forests already absorb and store about 30 per cent of current levels of carbon emissions from fossil fuels and industry into their biomass, soils and wood products, and have the potential to store much more.

4 At present, however, about 12 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to derive from deforestation, a process which is itself made more acute by the impacts of Climate Change . Forests can also help communities adapt to the impacts of Climate Change , stabilising and cooling local climates, including water flow and rainfall. References to Climate Change occur in several places in the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 2030 (UNSPF) agreed by the UN General Assembly in 2017, and its Global Forest Goals (GFGs). The box below reproduces the GFGs which explicitly reference Climate Change , and those which are directly relevant even while they do not mention Climate Change ; the implications are discussed further in Sections 4, 5 and 6 (in practice, virtually all the GFGs are of some relevance). UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017 2030: Global Forest Goals1 1.

5 Reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide through sustainable forest management, including protection, restoration, afforestation and reforestation, and increase efforts to prevent forest degradation and contribute to the global effort of addressing Climate Change . Forest area is increased by 3 per cent worldwide. The world s forest carbon stocks are maintained or enhanced. By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of Forests , halt deforestation, restore degraded Forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally. The resilience and adaptive capacity of all types of Forests to natural disasters and the impact of Climate Change is significantly strengthened worldwide. 2. Enhance forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits, including by improving the livelihoods of forest dependent people.

6 The contribution of all types of Forests to biodiversity conservation and Climate Change mitigation and adaptation is enhanced, taking into account the mandates and ongoing work of relevant conventions and instruments. 3. Increase significantly the area of protected Forests worldwide and other areas of sustainably managed Forests , as well as the proportion of forest products from sustainably managed Forests .. 1 Resolution adopted by the Economic and Social Council on 20 April 2017: United Nations strategic plan for Forests 2017 2030 and quadrennial programme of work of the United Nations Forum on Forests for the period 2017 2020 (E/RES/2017/4, July 2017). Forests and SDG13 | March 2019 Page | 4 The proportion of forest products from sustainably managed Forests is significantly increased.

7 4. Mobilize significantly increased, new and additional financial resources from all sources for the implementation of sustainable forest management and strengthen scientific and technical cooperation and partnerships.. 5. Promote governance frameworks to implement sustainable forest management, including through the United Nations forest instrument, and enhance the contribution of Forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.. Forest law enforcement and governance are enhanced, including through significantly strengthening national and subnational forest authorities, and illegal logging and associated trade are significantly reduced worldwide. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also relevant. Agreed by the UN General Assembly in 2015 as the core of the 2030 Development Agenda, Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDG 13 deals explicitly with Climate Change (see box).

8 Sustainable Development Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat Climate Change and its impacts 2 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to Climate -related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. Integrate Climate Change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on Climate Change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. This paper provides an overview of the interaction between Forests and Climate Change . Section 2 examines the roles Forests play in regulating the global and local Climate , the impacts of Forests on Climate Change and the impacts of Climate Change on Forests . Section 3 analyses the treatment of Forests , including the measurement of forest-related greenhouse gas emissions and sinks, in the international Climate agreements.

9 Section 4 discusses a range of mitigation options: ways in which Forests and forest policy can help to reduce the rate of Climate Change . Section 5 discusses adaptation: measures through which Forests can help societies adapt to the impacts of Climate Change and ways in which Forests themselves may need to be assisted to adapt to Climate Change . Section 6 discusses key requirements underlying the success of all the measures examined in Sections 4 and 5: the need for financial support and improvements in forest governance. Section 7 provides some brief conclusions, in particular on the synergies between the Climate agreements and UNSPF and its Global Forest Goals. 2 Ibid. Forests and SDG13 | March 2019 Page | 5 2 Background: Forests and Climate Change Role of Forests and their ecosystem services in Climate systems: carbon Forests play a critical role in the Earth s Climate system, in a number of different ways.

10 Most importantly for global Climate Change , they capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it, through photosynthesis, into living biomass: tree trunks, roots, branches and leaves. Forests also store carbon in forest soils, absorbed through leaf litter, woody debris and roots; whether these inputs are sequestered in the soil matrix or biodegraded and returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, and if so at what rate, depends on complex interactions involving soil minerals, plants and soil organisms, and organic components, all influenced by factors such as local climatic conditions and forest management. Estimates of the carbon stored in the world s Forests vary significantly. In 2000 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated a total volume of 1,100 gigatonnes (Gt, or billion tonnes).