
-
Harman goes four clear at Texas Open
-
McLaughlin-Levrone, Thomas cruise to wins at opening Grand Slam Track
-
US cardinal defrocked for sex abuse dies at 94
-
Lula admits 'still a lot to do' for Indigenous Brazilians
-
England, Germany and Spain on mark in women's Nations League
-
Judge orders return to US of Salvadoran man deported in error
-
Amadou of Malian blind music duo dies aged 70
-
Freeman hat-trick eases Northampton into Champions Cup quarters with Clermont win
-
Defiant Trump dismisses stock market's tariff plunge
-
Musiala injury sours Bayern win at Augsburg
-
Peruvian schoolkids living in fear of extortion gangs
-
Top seed Pegula rallies to oust defending champ Collins in Charleston
-
Amadou of Malian blind music duo Amadou & Mariam dies aged 70
-
California to defy Trump's tariffs to allay global trade fears
-
Bayern's Musiala subbed off with injury days out from Inter clash
-
Russian strike kills 16 in Ukraine leader's home city, children among dead
-
NBA fines Grizzlies' Morant for imaginary gun gesture
-
Trump tariffs offer opportunity for China
-
UK comedian Russell Brand charged with rape
-
Marsh, Markram help Lucknow edge Mumbai in IPL
-
Israel attorney general accuses PM of 'conflict of interest' in security chief dismissal
-
Emery glad to see Rashford make landmark appearance
-
Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces more charges ahead of criminal trial
-
Russian missile strike kills 14 in Ukraine leader's home city
-
Trump's tariff Big Bang puts global economy under threat
-
I Am Maximus backed for National as Mullins hot streak continues
-
2014 World Cup winner Hummels to retire at season's end
-
Intercommunal violence kills dozens in central Nigeria
-
Nigerian, S. African music saw 'extraordinary growth' in 2024: Spotify
-
Russell Brand: From Hollywood star to rape suspect
-
France soccer star Mbappe unveiled in London... in waxwork form
-
Trump goads China as global trade war escalates
-
Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, hits Hamas in Lebanon
-
TikTok faces new US deadline to ditch Chinese owner
-
US Fed Chair warns tariffs will likely raise inflation, cool growth
-
Mbappe among three Real Madrid players fined for 'indecent conduct'
-
How can the EU respond to Trump tariffs?
-
Canada loses jobs for first time in 3 years as US tariffs bite
-
Real Madrid and Barcelona respect each other, says Ancelotti
-
Nations divided ahead of decisive week for shipping emissions
-
Trump goads China after Beijing retaliates in global trade war
-
Arteta urges Arsenal to enjoy "beautiful" run-in despite injury woes
-
London mayor gets new powers to revive capital's ailing nightlife
-
Italy's ski star Brignone takes on 'new challenge' after serious leg injury
-
Amorim in a 'rush' to succeed at Man Utd
-
PSG coach Luis Enrique targets unbeaten season
-
Duterte victims seeking 'truth and justice': lawyer
-
UK comedian and actor Russell Brand charged with rape
-
Postecoglou 'falling out of love' with football due to VAR
-
US hiring beats expectations in March as tariff uncertainty brews
RBGPF | 1.48% | 69.02 | $ | |
BCC | 0.85% | 95.44 | $ | |
NGG | -5.25% | 65.93 | $ | |
BCE | 0.22% | 22.71 | $ | |
RELX | -6.81% | 48.16 | $ | |
SCS | -0.56% | 10.68 | $ | |
RYCEF | -18.79% | 8.25 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.13% | 22.29 | $ | |
GSK | -6.79% | 36.53 | $ | |
JRI | -7.19% | 11.96 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.7% | 22.83 | $ | |
RIO | -6.88% | 54.67 | $ | |
AZN | -7.98% | 68.46 | $ | |
VOD | -10.24% | 8.5 | $ | |
BTI | -5.17% | 39.86 | $ | |
BP | -10.43% | 28.38 | $ |

Market-based schemes not reducing deforestation, poverty: report
Market-based approaches to forest conservation like carbon offsets and deforestation-free certification schemes have largely failed to protect trees or alleviate poverty, according to a major scientific review published on Monday.
The global study -- the most comprehensive of its kind to date -- found that trade and finance-driven initiatives had made "limited" progress halting deforestation and in some cases worsened economic inequality.
Drawn from years of academic and field work, the report compiled by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), a group of 15,000 scientists in 120 countries, will be presented at a high-level UN forum starting Monday.
Its authors urged a "radical rethink" of increasingly popular market-based approaches often promoted as effective at saving forests, curbing global warming and raising living standards in developing nations.
"The evidence does not support the claim of win-wins or triple wins for environment, economy and people often made for market mechanisms as a policy response to environmental problems," said contributing author Maria Brockhaus from the University of Helsinki.
"Rather our cases show that poverty and forest loss both are persistent across different regions of the world... where market mechanisms have been the main policy option for decades," she told AFP by email.
- No accountability -
Since the last IUFRO assessment in 2010, the report noted a rise in complex and overlapping market-based schemes "with financial actors and shareholders more often interested in short-term profits than long-term just and sustainable forest governance".
Its lead author, Constance McDermott from the University of Oxford, said this may not be true of all individual projects "but overall... it's hard to say they've been a rousing success".
The report said a $120 million project in the Democratic Republic of Congo had "reinforced entrenched interests" by restricting local people from forests without addressing logging by powerful extractive businesses.
In Malaysia, indigenous groups promised better livelihoods from a foreign-backed plantation venture on their customary land received no benefit, the report said.
"As both cases show, 'wins' are often gained elsewhere, while the burdens of forest loss, enclosures and forestland conversion are carried locally," said Brockhaus.
In Ghana, deforestation rates had risen despite a slew of sustainable cocoa standards, corporate pledges, and carbon offset projects, while farmers were earning less today than decades ago, said McDermott.
Meanwhile green trade policies imposed by wealthy countries -- like the EU's ban on imports linked to deforestation -- might look good from Brussels but did not consider the knock-on effects, she added.
"There's no accountability. If this doesn't work -- or farmers are pushed off their farm as a result -- it's not going to hurt the person eating chocolate in the UK or Germany," she said.
- 'Radical rethink' -
Despite recent turmoil, carbon markets are projected to grow into a multi-billion-dollar industry as corporations increasingly turn to credits to meet their net-zero climate targets.
Credits are purchased from projects, often in developing nations, that reduce or avoid the release of planet-heating emissions, such as protecting CO2-absorbing rainforests or peat swamps.
Kenya's President William Ruto has called Africa's carbon sinks an "unparalleled economic goldmine" that could generate billions of dollars every year.
But there are growing concerns about how much of that revenue poor communities might expect to see, with unscrupulous actors accused of exploitation.
Brockhaus said market-based approaches may be appealing to policymakers but would not be a solution without also addressing the broader economic and governance challenges around forest management.
"We advocate for a radical rethink," she said.
T.Batista--PC