Larmour, Edward P. (2011) Corruption in REDD+ schemes: a framework for analysis. In: Handbook of Global Research and Practice in Corruption. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, United Kingdom, pp. 157-169. ISBN 9781849805018
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Abstract
REDD – reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation – promises to be a cheap and effective way of reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. First proposed by the governments of PNG and Costa Rica in 2005, it has been gaining international favour, particularly after the Copenhagen Conference. REDD+ includes other measures to enhance forest carbon stocks. One REDD mechanism – payment for Environment Services (PES) – envisages paying governments or landowners for not cutting down trees (Angelsen, 2009; Howes, 2009 for PNG).
The idea of REDD+ is simple to explain, but it also seems simple to cheat. The international rules are still unclear and – being international- will be hard to enforce. Once in place, the complexity of REDD+ regulations will create its own opportunities for corruption. Markets in carbon credits already provide opportunities for speculation by ‘carbon cowboys’ (Filer, 2010). The huge flows of money envisaged are attractive to criminals. In any case, forestry has a poor track record for illegality, including corruption. Some of the countries signing up for REDD have poor reputations for corruption in government.
There is a small but growing literature on corruption risks in REDD schemes, often starting from the experience of illegal logging (Tacconi et al., 2009; Brown, 2010; Bofin et al., 2011). Transparency International’s upcoming Global Corruption Report will focus on climate change. This chapter proposes a framework summarizing types of diagnoses and cures for corruption, and applies it to REDD+. First, to set the scene, it identifies some similarities and differences between the literature on corruption and the literature on REDD.
| Item Type: | Book Chapter |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences J Political Science > JA Political science (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Management and Public Administration |
| Depositing User: | Ms Shalni Sanjana |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2011 05:57 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Mar 2013 04:03 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/4719 |
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