Tropical forests which mitigate climate change. Their role in the substitution to fossil energies and future green economies

This study first analyses and describes the various roles of forests regarding the environment and the development. It discusses the evolution of the REDD+ approach (REDD stands for reduction of emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation) which comprises afforestation, reforestation and forest restoration according to the Kyoto protocol, the addition of the avoided deforestation, and the content of the Durban and Rio conferences. In the next part, the authors discuss how to progress based on the REDD+ dynamics: introduction of wood usages, integration of product lifetimes and of forest product stock into REDD+ accounting, direct substitution of fossil energies, indirect substitution of fossil energies as a strategic priority, support to developing countries in their energy policies. The next part discusses how to correctly manage forests in order to ensure mitigation of climate change within forests. The prospective contribution of tropical forests to mitigation of climate change by 2050 is then discussed. Benefits and drawbacks are finally discussed.