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By John Lighton 11 Jun 2015commentsShare
A surprise deal emerged from U.N. climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, this week: Diplomats managed to reach a key agreement to compensate developing nations that agree to preserve their forests. And environmental and civil society groups had generally nice things to say about the deal.
Deforestation has a huge effect on climate change. Activities like slash-and-burn agriculture account for nearly 20 percent of greenhouse gases emissions, according to the U.N. Trees, of course, also play a key role in slowing climate change by pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Historically, deforestation has been an especially vexing probably for environmentalists, raising the concern of climate hawks and conservationists alike. This week’s agreement straightens out some key details of an initiative — called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD+ — that negotiators hope will provide developing, forest-rich countries with incentives to slow and eventually halt logging of forested land.
The deal comes out of two weeks of climate negotiations in Bonn, which wrapped up today. And while groups tracking the U.N.’s progress toward an anticipated December 2015 climate deal had mixed reviews of these negotiating meetings, the forest agreement stood out as one success. Forest researchers and advocacy groups weren’t expecting to see a deal emerge this week, but negotiators said they wanted to get the details of the forest program squared away before wading into other, potentially more controversial disagreements that must be resolved before the big talks in Paris in December.
The details of REDD+ had been held up for years as negotiators tried to deal with a number of thorny issues, including how to work with indigenous communities to make sure they retain the rights to their land, understand the program, and don’t lose their economic livelihoods through it. A few groups still expressed skepticism that, in practice, the agreement would do enough to protect local communities. “There is no mechanism for participation [of local people], so for us it is a big risk,” Sebastián Cárdenas Medina of Ecuador’s Centre for Planning and Social Science warned Reuters.
A number of details related to financing also have to be worked out later this year. The money for the incentives for countries to leave forests alone could come from either the private sector or groups like the World Bank or the U.N.’s struggling Green Climate Fund. Advocates said they’d be watching closely to make sure these final details get hammered out in a satisfactory way.
Still, the agreement is encouraging for those who want to see the U.N. make progress on climate change. “REDD+ showed once again that compromise in the U.N. is possible, and REDD+ is poised to be a pillar of mitigation and finance in the Paris global deal,” said Gus Silva-Chávez, climate policy expert with the research group Forest Trends.
REDD+ was in the works for 10 years. A broader global climate deal has been in the works for more than twice that long. But maybe this will be the year when that finally becomes a reality as well.
Source:
Deal on forests at Bonn climate talks
, Deutsche Welle.
Decade-Long UN Forest Climate Talks Reach Breakthrough
, Bloomberg.
Forest protection scheme sewn up at U.N. climate talks
, Reuters.
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The U.N. surprises everyone with a breakthrough deal to slow deforestation
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My vegetable repertoire has narrowed to the point of tedium: I sauté fast-cooking ones like greens and fresh beans and roast slow-cooking ones like potatoes unto caramelization. Most everything gets plenty of garlic, high-flavor fats like olive oil or lard, and a dash of chile pepper.
But on a recent trip to Austin’s urban-ag jewel Boggy Creek Farms, I picked up first-of-the-season green beans and red new potatoes that were so fresh and enticing that such treatments seemed way too aggressive. I wanted the flavor of the vegetables themselves, not my cooking techniques and condiments, to dominate.
So I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done voluntarily: I steamed them. And I’ll be damned if they didn’t avoid blandness, the fate I’ve always associated with the technique. Instead, the potatoes were like an impossibly potato-y bite of the earth itself; and the green beans delivered a crunchy jolt of chlorophyllic sweetness.
To bring it all together into a light meal, I needed a low-key dressing. My Boggy Creek expedition also netted a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, which I decided to whiz into a vinaigrette. I also wanted a protein element, and in my cupboard I found one that would provide a sharp contrast to the delicate vegetables: a tin of sardines.
To preserve the original idea—vegetables that tasted of themselves—I decided to compose the plate precisely. Here’s what I did:
Steamed Spring Green Beans and New Potatoes with Parsley Sauce and Sardines
(Light meal for two, plus some leftovers)
½ pound smallish, freshly dug (“new”) potatoes, quartered
½ pound fresh green beans, stem ends snapped off, snapped in half
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
1 small clove of garlic, crushed and peeled
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 4.25 oz can of sardines in olive oil (I used this kind)
Add a steamer insert to a pot along with an inch of water. Cover and turn heat to high until the water boils. Turn the heat down halfway, add the potatoes, cover, and steam until they’re just tender. Remove to a bowl. Add a bit more water to the pot, and repeat with the green beans, making sure they’re left with a little crunch.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by combining the parsley, oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Mix until reasonably smooth. (You will likely have leftover dressing—keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and makes everything taste good.)
To compose, start by dotting each plate with splotches of dressing. Now carefully layer on the vegetables, distributing them more or less evenly (leaving aside about a third for seconds or leftovers.) Then add the sardines the same way—use them all, because they don’t make for fun leftovers. Finally, add a few more dots of dressing, as well as a conservative dusting of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a bowl of extra dressing at the table for supplementation.
This dish is made to serve with a minerally, ice cold white wine.
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Tom’s Kitchen: Steamed Spring Green Beans and New Potatoes with Parsley Sauce and Sardines
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