UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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Selected Press Releases
Government Subsidies for Agriculture May Exacerbate Deforestation, says new UN report
Outdated and incoherent fiscal incentives are often the key underlying drivers of forest loss worldwide.
Nairobi, 3 September 2015 – An estimated 80 per cent of global deforestation occurs as a direct result of agricultural practices. Government subsidies, estimated at $200 billion annually, are often the key underlying drivers of forest loss worldwide, with policy makers rarely recognizing their impact, says a new United Nations brief.

The report, entitled ‘Fiscal incentives for agricultural commodity production: Options to forge compatibility with REDD+’, explores ways of aligning government subsidies and other fiscal instruments with the objectives of REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries).

Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme said, “The negative impact of subsidies on forest cover is often caused by outdated and incoherent policies. Any government-led effort to bolster agricultural productivity should account for the broader implications of such schemes. This report demonstrates that policy that decouples economic growth from deforestation and land degradation is the clearest pathway toward an agricultural sector that realizes both sustainable land use and sustainable inclusive economic growth. I encourage policy makers to consider the case studies in this report as they work to orient agricultural policy toward green economy fundamentals.”
Download Full Report in English
Download Full Report in Spanish

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UNEP Announces European Winner of 24th International Children`s Painting Competition
Evdokia Bogacheva, aged 12 from Ukraine, wins first prize for the European Region.
01/09/2015

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Low-Cost Device Can Revolutionize Air Quality Monitoring and Help Countries Prevent Deaths from Outdoor Pollution
31/08/2015