Mabira Forest, Uganda. Credit: S A Perez/Wikicommons/

By Rosebell Kagumire*

KAMPALA, Nov 30, 2010 (IPS/TerraViva) – Uganda has lost more than two million hectares of forest since 1990, mostly converted to farmland by a growing population of smallholders. Carbon finance through the REDD programme is often presented as one way to arrest this destruction, but only if the benefits clearly translate to the grassroots. Continue Reading

By Stephen Leahy

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Nov 23, 2010 (IPS/TerraViva) – Deforestation rates have slowed in Brazil and elsewhere in expectation of a windfall of green gold from billions of dollars of carbon credits being mobilised for climate protection, some experts believe. Continue Reading

Aerial view of the Moon Palace hotel, to host COP16, where an aero generator is to be installed without an environmental impact study. Credit:Courtesy of Mexican Centre for Environmental Law (CEMDA).

By Emilio Godoy*

MEXICO CITY, Nov 9, 2010 (Tierramérica/TerraViva) – The beauty of the Mexican Caribbean resort city of Cancún may have been one reason for choosing it to host the upcoming global summit on climate change. But Cancún has little to recommend it as a model for adapting to the challenges posed by climate change.
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Unsustainable use of forests is a problem across the Southern Africa region. Credit: Mantoe Phakathi/IPS.

Collins Mtika

MZUZU, Malawi, 2 nov (IPS/TerraViva) – Des décennies de culture itinérante par les agriculteurs ruraux ont menacé les forêts dans le district de Karonga, dans le nord du Malawi. La perte du couvert forestier a également menacé les moyens de subsistance de Benjamin Kalowekamo, un herboriste qui dépend des plantes locales pour préparer ses décoctions servant à guérir des maladies.
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By Mitch Moxley *

BEIJING, Sep 23, 2010 (IPS/TerraVIva) – Dubbed “The Great Green Wall,” a human-made ecological barrier designed to stop rapidly encroaching deserts and combat climate change is coming up across China. By 2050, the artificial forest is to stretch 400 million hectares – covering more than 42 percent of China’s landmass. Continue Reading