On 11 March 2010 French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, opened an international conference on deforestation in Paris. The main focus of the International Conference on the Major Forest Basins was funding for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, plus conservation, sustainable management of forests, and stock enhancement) activities during 2010-2012. France and Norway [...]

The body charged with the administrative oversight of the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is showing signs that a critical transition in the technical framework may be coming. The CDM Executive Board (EB); currently the judge, juror and executioner of the Kyoto Protocol’s cornerstone carbon offsetting mechanism, could receive a much needed shake up, [...]

Global environmental change, particularly in the form of global warming, exacerbates the risks faced by vulnerable rural communities whose livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive activities. The occurrence of immediate climate shocks, such as unseasonal droughts or floods, negatively affects food systems, thereby reducing the economic welfare of rural populations. Climate change is essentially a developmental challenge. [...]