Every year an area of tropical Rainforest the size of the Netherlands is lost. This results in 12% of global CO2-emissions and a huge loss of biodiversity. Forest conservation is is  therefore crucial in the fight against climate change, but we are still moving in the wrong direction. The annual loss of tropical rainforest has increased by 41% since 2014, resulting in a rise of emissions from 1,4 to 2 gigatons per year. This is half of Europe’s total annual emissions.

In order to address the problem, the UNFCCC has developed a framework for Reducing Deforestation and forest Degradation, called REDD+. REDD+ is envisaged as a financing mechanism that brings value to standing forests and is explicitly noted in the Paris Agreement (Art.5). That makes it the most powerful instrument available to date to tackle deforestation at scale.

There is an important role to play for the private sector to make REDD+ work. Companies can contribute by purchasing carbon credits from certified REDD+ projects in order to offset their unavoidable CO2-emissions. Although the voluntary carbon market is quickly developing, it is still fragmented and in an early phase of maturity. RBI aims to contribute to the further development of the market in a practical way by bringing businesses together, by stimulating demand and by highlighting good practices and solutions, rather than focussing on problems.

With biodiversity conservation and the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals as important co-benefits.