Global Leaders Urged to Urgently Reject Corporate-Backed Deceptions and Redirect Funding to Real Climate Solutions

Global Leaders Urged to Urgently Reject Corporate-Backed Deceptions and Redirect Funding to Real Climate Solutions

Billions of dollars of public finance have been pledged to prop up carbon markets, offsets, bioenergy, afforestation/reforestation monocultures

 

[DUBAI, 5 December 2023] — Global leaders must urgently reevaluate and overhaul their climate finance strategies, which direct billions of dollars into false solutions, and instead redirect financial and policy commitments towards inclusive, community-driven solutions that prioritise gender justice and human rights, the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) said today at the UNFCCC COP28.

In a context where there is no room for false solutions or offsets, the GFC observes a concerning surge in climate finance flows supporting deceptive strategies by corporations and governments to evade imperative reductions in fossil fuel emissions. Vulnerable communities, left to grapple with the increasing impacts of climate change alone, are further marginalised by the allocation of public finance from the global north to perilous false solutions that worsen climate change.

In a world teetering on the brink of Code Red, false solutions are not an option. We need urgent, decisive action to redirect financial resources to where they truly matter—the communities on the front lines of climate change.

“Dangerous distractions and false solutions do not consider our future, and there are no real processes in place to address the bigger problems. We must combat the finance destroying our land and forests,” said Maureen Santos of FASE, Brazil. Significant research and evidence shared at a press conference on 2 December expose the alarming trend of using public finance to support initiatives such as REDD+ and sustain carbon markets, with substantial backing from entities like the UN Development Program (UNDP), Norway, the United Kingdom, and others.

“More than $1100 billion from the global north is tied to monoculture plantations, including the African Forest Restoration Initiative 100, the Bonn Challenge, and similar pledges. In a world teetering on the brink of Code Red, false solutions are not an option. We need urgent, decisive action to redirect financial resources to where they truly matter—the communities on the front lines of climate change,” said Souparna Lahiri. “The influence of corporations and governments over global policymaking and UN negotiations has created an environment where real solutions seem remote and are unrecognised and inadequately supported.”

 

“Land grabbing is a synonym of oppression – and false solutions are one of the biggest drivers of this,” added Kwami Kpondzo, from the Centre for Environmental Justice, Togo. “There is a deluge of false solutions in Africa. In terms of plantations, we have the African Forest Reforestation initiative, which aims to restore 100 million hectares by 2030 – many countries have already exceeded this by 25 million hectares. This amounts to a 91% increase in land area used by commercial tree plantations. The main funders behind this are Germany, France, Norway and the United States.”

Corporate involvement in promoting these false solutions is undeniable, with carbon markets, offsets, bioenergy, afforestation/reforestation monocultures, and unproven techno-fixes allowing corporations to maintain business as usual, sidestepping necessary emissions cuts. However, these systems not only fail to address the climate crisis but also inflict negative, gender-differentiated impacts on frontline communities and ecosystems globally.

Land grabbing is a synonym of oppression – and false solutions are one of the biggest drivers of this,

“Women in local communities and rural areas in places like Nepal have started to manage their forests based on community governance and traditional knowledge and have successfully been able to halt deforestation. However, there is a gap between ground-level practices and global policy documents,” said Dil raj Khanal, FECOFUN, Nepal. “Our concern is that local communities have their own systems of ecosystem management, but these customary and community practices must urgently be accepted in the international documents.” 

All this comes at a critical juncture, as the world faces the imminent breach of Code Red, necessitating urgent and drastic emission reductions. Of particular concern is the expenditure of billions of dollars in subsidising bioenergy generation, despite evidence indicating its failure to significantly reduce emissions. GFC underscores the urgency for a paradigm shift away from these misleading strategies and towards genuine climate actions.

GFC also urged governments, international organisations, and the public to join the call for divestment from false solutions and a redirection of resources to empower communities and enact real climate solutions.

About the Global Forest Coalition:

The Global Forest Coalition is a non-profit organisation dedicated to advocating for equitable, gender-just, and rights-based climate policies, with a focus on protecting forests and the communities that depend on them.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Chithira Vijayakumar +91 96339 90688 (WhatsApp, Signal) chithira.vijayakumar@globalforestcoalition.org

Ismail Wolff +33 7 88 85 28 59 (WhatsApp, Signal) ismail.wolff@globalforestcoalition.org

5 Dec, 2023
Posted in Press releases, Forests and Climate Change