Starling’s Carbon and Climate work focuses on the design and development of REDD projects as well as pursuing low carbon growth strategies and plans for corporations and governments.

Emissions from carbon-rich peatlands and forests account for more than 80% (2.0 GtCO2e) of Indonesia’s current total carbon emissions (cite).

Carbon & Climate

Why it matters

Scientific consensus on the anthropogenic causes of global warming and the evidence of impacts of climate change is leading to globally concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Doing so will require new analytical tools, technologies, and thinking in the management our natural resources. As part of the response, governments and businesses have started to reconsider business-as-usual scenarios and to plan for ways to reduce emissions from primary carbon emitting sectors and economic activities, as well as by retaining and recovering carbon sinks; primarily forests and other carbon sequestering ecosystems.

Of particular importance and relevance in Indonesia is the possibility that REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) provides. REDD initiatives provide an opportunity to generate sustained financing for the restoration and conservation of forest ecosystems, while addressing the global challenge of climate change. Because project developers must meet scientifically rigorous standards that verify emissions reductions in order to receive revenue, REDD also provides an incentive structure for performance-based conservation and climate change mitigation.

What we do

Starling Resources understands the opportunities and challenge that REDD poses for producing benefits for the global climate, biodiversity, and communities. For our work on REDD+ project design we leverage world class scientific expertise to ensure that carbon reduction targets are met, ecosystem functions restored, and biodiversity protected. We further design community and stakeholder planning processes that ensure communities derive benefit from REDD and invest in long term partnerships for forest conservation. We are currently leading the development of an avoided deforestation and ecosystem restoration project in a 200,000+-hectare peat forest in Central Kalimantan (see Katingan case study below).

At the national level, one of our Partners was recently involved as an advisor to the development of a CO2 abatement cost curve analysis in Indonesia led by the National Climate Change Council (NCCC) and McKinsey and Company, and is a member of an international standards committee for the development of REDD+ Social and Environmental standards.

Case Studies

The following case studies relate to our work in Carbon & Climate.

Nearly 20% of green house gas emissions result from deforestation and forest degradation; an amount greater than the global transportation sector and only surpassed by the energy sector.

REDD represents a framework to reward those who conserve forests – a win for climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and forest dependent communities.