When it comes to going green, there are some acronyms out there that you may not be familiar with.  One of those acronyms is REDD.  If you aren’t sure what it is, it’s time you learn about it because there’s no doubt that you’ll continue to hear about it in the future.  What does it stand for? REDD is the acronym for Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

Stop Cutting Down the Forests

Essentially this is a program that simply works to stop the chopping of the forests to help reduce the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.  This program wants to find a way that the greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by way of economic incentives.  Whether the timber is cut down for pasture or conversion to agriculture, it needs to be reduced.  This program is mainly focused on the rainforest, but it also works on other types of similar forests in nations that are developing, but this program also works other places in the world as well.

Financial Incentives

When it comes to the REDD, their main idea is to actually provide some great financial incentives so that the forests are worth even more when they are standing than they are when they are cut down.  According to the website for the program, the amount of money that should flow through this program could end up being 30 billion dollars each year or even more.  With these incentives, it makes it worth while for companies to keep the forests standing to preserve the earth and avoid having more greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere.

There are some important points that you need to remember including the following:

-  Forests that are intact should be protected and language within the program should be very explicit.

-  Both community and indigenous must be thought about or this program will only end up being beneficial to nations that are rich.

-  There must be transparency so that the forests really store the amount of forest that they claim and so that those that are supposed to be preserved are actually still standing.

Without these points, the system will not work effectively.  However, if these important parts are put into practice, REDD can definitely be an excellent program that will provide green benefits throughout the world.  So, if people mention REDD to you in the future, you’ll know what they are talking about and will be aware of the excellent program this really is.