Our climate positioning

Climate change is a palpable reality for everyone.

Rising global temperatures and the acceleration of extreme weather events are already having an impact on natural ecosystems and human well-being, putting pressure on the food supply and health of men and women around the world. Forests, as major carbon sinks that store CO2, have a key role to play in the fight against global warming. Not only do they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, thereby reducing global greenhouse gas concentrations, but they are also an invaluable and efficient solution for adapting our territories to climate change.

Taking action for forests is a major lever for climate action to which the NGO Planète Urgence is fully committed.

10%

10% of greenhouse gas emissions are linked to deforestation (IPCC)

Raising awareness and commitment

To be legitimate, however, these actions must be measured accurately and transparently. Planète Urgence has therefore worked in cooperation with experts, partner NGOs and companies to create a method for measuring the carbon impact of reforestation projects adapted to agroforestry, mangrove and wood energy projects. This method is supported by…. An explanatory version is open to all. The detailed technical method is available on request, along with a licence system for monitoring projects that use it.

The idea of neutrality only makes sense at the level of the planet and not at the level of an organisation. An organisation’s first priority must be to measure and commit to an extremely demanding emissions reduction trajectory that is consistent with the Paris agreements. An organisation must therefore strive to drastically reduce its direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, and it must also be proactive in avoiding all the emissions generated by its activity.

Organisations can contribute as much as possible to the effort to preserve the world’s carbon sinks, both within and outside value chains, while reducing emissions. Offsetting is an overused term, because it would be wrong to think that what was emitted in one year can be offset over 30 years – particularly in the case of forestry projects. Carbon credits sold on the voluntary market are a useful financing tool, but they are not sufficient, as they cannot finance all projects that have an impact on the climate, and the low prices charged often mean that quality projects cannot be guaranteed. Sponsorship of forestry projects could be an interesting alternative to help protect and restore the world’s carbon sinks.

Climate change is the consequence of the production and consumption patterns of the richest countries, yet those who will pay the heaviest consequences are the inhabitants of the poorest countries. We therefore feel it is important to ensure that we pay particular attention to funding projects aimed at the countries of the South to help them better manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Forests are at the crossroads of biodiversity issues (they are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity, IPBES 2019) and human issues (250 million people living in extreme poverty live less than 5km from a forest, FAO 2020). It is therefore essential to ensure that projects aiming to have an impact on the climate systematically include biodiversity issues and the fight against inequalities, as this is a guarantee for the sustainability of the impact.

If you are a journalist and would like to find out more about Planète Urgence’s position on climate change or interview our teams in the field, please contact lea.cousin@planete-urgence.org.