ABOUT ROW

The REDD+ Offset Working Group (ROW) was established in February 2011 as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2010 between the Governors of California, Chiapas and Acre, as part of a collaborative effort to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (known as “REDD+”).  Deforestation and forest degradation account for approximately 20% of the world’s annual GHG emissions. Any comprehensive effort to reduce the impacts of climate change will require significant global cooperation to reduce GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Mission

The ROW was tasked to answer three central questions including:

  1. What legal and institutional mechanisms are required to enable California to  recognize international REDD-based emission offsets for compliance purposes?
  2. What are the key policy considerations a sectoral REDD program should address to achieve the level of performance needed for California to recognize the REDD-based offsets for compliance purposes?
  3. What should be the bases for judging the performance of the states in reducing carbon removals from forests?

Funding

The ROW is supported by a grant from the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA)—a partnership between ClimateWorks Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (see http://climateandlandusealliance.org/).  The grant reimburses travel costs for members and supports a facilitator and editor for the ROW process.

Timeline

The ROW process was initiated in Spring 2011 and is expected to last until Summer 2013 with a final report.

Participants

The ROW is made up of technical experts who are developing recommendations based on their professional experience.  Participants include:

  • Daniel Nepstad, Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), International Program Director, California, USA
  • Derik Broekhoff, Vice President, Policy, Climate Action Reserve, California, USA
  • Greg P. Asner, Professor of Geological and Env. Sciences, Stanford University, California, USA
  • Ludovino Lopes, Advisor, Institute of Climate Change and Regulation of Environmental Services, Acre, Brazil
  • Michelle Passero, Senior Climate Policy Advisor to The Nature Conservancy, California, USA
  • Peter Riggs, Program Officer, The Ford Foundation, New York, USA
  • Rosa Maria Vidal, Director, Pronatura Sur, Chiapas, Mexico
  • Steve Schwartzman, Director, Tropical Forest Policy, Environmental Defense Fund,  Washington DC, USA
  • Toby Janson-Smith, Senior Director, Forest Carbon Markets, Conservation International, California, USA
  • Tony Brunello (ROW Facilitator), Green Technology Leadership Group
  • William Boyd, Associate Professor of Law, U. of Colorado Law School, Colorado; Senior Advisor and Project Lead, Governors’ Climate and Task Force, USA.

State Observers

  • Jason Gray, California Air Resources Board, California, USA
  • Fernando Rosas, Advisor to the Secretary of Treasury, Secretaria de Hacienda, Chiapas, Mexico
  • Mónica Julissa De Los Rios de Leal, Presidential Advisor, Institute of Climate Change and Regulation of Environmental Services, Acre, Brazil

Public Participation

There are numerous opportunities for public participation with the ROW through a number of different venues.  The ROW will facilitate public outreach in the winter and spring of 2013, during which the progress of the ROW will be presented and opportunities for discussion and comment will be provided.  The ROW is requesting written comments on draft recommendations as they are developed. Click here to see recaps of our recent workshops.