Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) attempts to address climate change from one angle - by paying developing countries to slow or stop deforestation and forest degradation. Trumpeted as a way to both mitigate climate change and assist countries with development, REDD was presented as a win-win solution. However, there have been few attempts to understand and analyse the overall framework.

Why REDD Will Fail argues that the important goals will not be met under the existing REDD regime unless the actual drivers of deforestation and forest degradation are diminished. The book delves into the problematic details of the regime, ranging from; national capacity to monitor results, the funding mechanism, the definition of a forest, leakage, and the impetus behind the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. As the international community rallies around REDD and developed countries and companies are willing to commit substantial amounts to implement the scheme, this books seeks to address whether REDD has the potential to achieve its purported goals.

This is an important resource for academics and students interested in the policy and management aspects of mitigating climate change, environmental policy, international relations and development studies as well as policy makers involved in the REDD process.

About the Author
Jessica L. DeShazo is Assistant Professor at California State University at Los Angeles, USA. Chandra Lal Pandey is a Visiting Professor in School of Education, Kathmandu University, the Institute of Crisis Management and International Relations and Diplomacy Programme at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies. Zachary A. Smith is Regents Professor at Northern Arizona University, USA.

Reviews

"Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is an international program to commodify forest land in developing nations with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The authors paint a critical, thought-provoking picture of why this program, which is less than ten years old, will not achieve its stated purpose. Its scale and complexity is not to be underestimated, yet the authors state that the most fundamental piece of the initiative, the mere definition of a forest, is at the heart of the problem. REDD is facilitated through the UN-REDD Programme, a collaboration of three existing UN organizations. The tangled nature of this global environmental policy initiative is carefully woven through socioeconomic considerations, agriculture, biodiversity, and the future of Earth. The chapters read like amalgamations of journal articles and will be easy to incorporate into the classroom setting. The work is heavily referenced with a strong call to action, as the presented concepts affect all humans. This monograph will be an excellent addition to academic libraries.
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty"
J. Clemons, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry - CHOICE

Book Information
ISBN 9780415729260
Author Zachary A. Smith
Format Hardback
Page Count 126
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 272g