Brazil Rejects Forest Offsets

A top Brazilian official said at U.N. climate talks in Poland that his country opposes plans to allow wealthy countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by funding efforts to preserve the Amazon rain forest. The statement by Sergio Serra, Brazil’s ambassador for climate change, was a setback for proponents of an increasingly popular concept known as REDD ”“ reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation. REDD advocates contend that if strict global reductions in carbon emissions are approved, a thriving market will develop in which nations, financial firms, and conservation groups can fund forest preservation — and economic development for indigenous people — through a combination of offsets and donations. At the talks in Poland, some representatives of indigenous forest groups said they feared they would see no benefits from REDD programs. Some tropical forest nations, including Indonesia, support REDD projects. Serra said the Amazon could best be protected by creating a large fund supported by donors such as Norway, which has pledged $1 billion for Amazon conservation.