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CLIMATE CHANGE STUDIES & RESEARCH
OVERVIEW
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Impacts of climate change can be measured and or realized by varying temperatures, changing
landscapes, rising sea levels, melting snows, fluctuating weather patterns, shifting
drought-fire-flash-floods, accentuating human-wild-marine-plant lives, displacement of native
species, biota migration, heat related illnesses and new diseases, and depleting fresh (surface
and ground) waters around the world. Moreover, climate change is impacting our economy and all
lives on earth.
As per the United Nations report, approximately 20% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
comes from deforestation (agricultural practices, urbanization, land conversion for water, air
transportation, irrigation and water supply systems) and forest degradation (destructive
logging, forest fires, forest diseases, droughts, etc.), this emission accounts more than the
entire global transportation sector and second to the energy sector emissions.
Reducing emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) was a proposal put to the
UNFCCC in 2005 by the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia,
that they would reduce their rates of deforestation and degradation in exchange for compensation
(Source: UN Report).
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a
financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries
to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable
development.
“REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation,
sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
Earth Mapping International (EMI) Consortium’s objectives for climate change studies and
researches are: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD),
conservation of biodiversity, sustainable and optimal forest management, and enhancement of
forest carbon stocks. To meet the above objectives it will require in-depth knowledge of an
in-situ understanding, utilization of available and affordable technology, sustainable economy,
political will power, and accommodating social behaviors to cope with problems. We utilize
remote sensing and geospatial tools to monitor, report, and verification of REDD+ programs
through land cover changes.
Land Cover Change (LCC) is a very complex process that occurs due to four natural and man-made
phenomena: (1) Earth's geologic processes - volcanoes, tectonic movements, and earthquakes, (2)
Earth's landscape processes - deforestation, agriculture, urbanization, surface
transportation, irrigation and water supply, waterways, and aviation, (3) Atmospheric
processes - soil erosion, flooding, landslides, droughts, and forest fires, and (4)
Global influences - solar radiation, meteoroids, magnetic and gravity field
changes. Land Use Change (LUC), on the other hand, is caused by man-made factors such as
agriculture and infrastructure development. Combined together, Land Cover Land Use Change
(LCLUC) analyses provide a comprehensive explanation for changes in the earth’s surface.
The analysis of LCLUC is one of the measuring tools for Monitoring, Reporting, and
Verification (MRV) of REDD+ implementation.
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