What is a Climate Smart Forest Economy?
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A Climate Smart Forest Economy refers to the usage of forest products in circumstances where this provides net climate benefits while meeting social and ecological safeguards.
Building a Climate Smart Forest Economy offers an economic incentive that could protect, maintain, and manage forests, while assigning greater value to forests, creating further incentives for restoration and reforestation. It offers an opportunity to decarbonize sectors that interface with forests through their value chains, such as construction. In addition to positive climate outcomes, this can result in substantial social and economic benefits.
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The Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) aims to generate and disseminate knowledge, inspire and raise ambition of stakeholders, and support initiatives that demonstrate how the Sink, carbon Storage, and fossil-carbon Substitution (3S) functions of forests and forest products can be maximized for enhanced climate, social and economic benefits.
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CSFEP’s initial focus is the building and construction sector and its sourcing practices, where increasing the use of sustainable forest products could rapidly decarbonize construction, while creating carbon sinks in cities.
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Transitioning to such a Climate-Smart Forest Economy will require comprehensive policy change based on sound science to drive market demand and investment. The transition will require a holistic understanding of the way carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere and stored. It will require a new way of thinking and a change in the narrative about forests and our built environment.
WE ARE WORKING WITH SYSTEM ACTORS TO SUPPORT FOREST-TO-FRAME VALUE CHAINS TO BECOME CLIMATE SMART
GALVANIZE A MOVEMENT
Support the movement by determining the right carbon balance through knowledge generation, demonstrating through on-the-ground initiatives, and incentivizing actors through convenings
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BOOST DEMAND FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST PRODUCTS
Improve the understanding of the benefits and challenges of the use of forests and forest products, and promote the enabling environment for sustainable forest products
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ENHANCE FORESTS
Provide economic incentives for individuals, communities and companies to improve and restore forests by overcoming constraints to supply and long-term management
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OUR THEORY OF CHANGE
Baseline
39% of global emissions come from construction.​
There is low demand for climate smart forest products.
The links between increased demand for climate smart forest products and positive climate and socio-economic outcomes require further research.
Output
Sectors that need rapid decarbonization, such as construction, boost demand for sustainable forest products that meet social and ecological safeguards.
Inputs
Science-based knowledge and safeguards support increased demand for climate smart forest products.
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Breakthrough initiatives demonstrate how to maximize the Sink, carbon Storage, and fossil-carbon Substitution (3S) Functions of forests and forest products resulting in climate, social, and economic benefits.
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Policymakers, practitioners, investors, and other stakeholders are engaged in a movement to increase demand for climate smart forest products.
Outcomes (by 2030)
100 million hectares of restored or new forest, storing 20 gigatons of carbon
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2 million new jobs
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$ 100 billion in commercial financing
Impact
Forest cover restored to pre-industrial levels. Significant contribution towards reversing the effects of climate change, while creating jobs and boosting the economy, both locally and globally.
39% of global emissions come from construction.​
There is low demand for climate smart forest products.
The links between increased demand for climate smart forest products and positive climate and socio-economic outcomes require further research.
Baseline