Avoided Deforestation Partners
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Avoided Deforestation Partners, or AD Partners, is a
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organization under the auspices of the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C. AD Partners is involved in the global effort to solve climate change by working to end deforestation in tropical rainforest countries. By avoiding the practice of deforestation, i.e., clearing forests to provide inexpensive farmland (also known as “slash and burn agriculture”), the world gains the significant climate benefits of ''not'' releasing carbon into the atmosphere. In addition, avoiding deforestation also allows forests to sequester carbon and scrub the air of pollutants. Beyond protecting our air quality, tropical forests create the conditions for rain, recharge our water sources, provide habitats for myriad plant and animal species, and support a way of life for 1.6 billion forest dependent people. Leading scientists and economists say that ending deforestation is the most cost effective and scalable method of reducing greenhouse gases. In fact, they believe that ending deforestation will cut the timeframe for solving the
climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to u ...
in half. AD Partners’ focus has been and continues to be on advocating for U.S. and international
forest protection Forest protection is a branch of forestry which is concerned with the preservation or improvement of a forest and prevention and control of damage to forest by natural or man made causes like forest fires, plant pests, and adverse climatic condi ...
policies. A large part of their efforts go towards convening global leaders from government, civil society and the business world at the international United National Climate summits, also known as the UNFCCC COP meetings. Most recently, AD Partners has joined television and movie climate change projects to help raise awareness about the critical link between climate change and the massive deforestation that continues to occur in rainforest countries such as Brazil and Indonesia. For most of the world, the concept that ending deforestation has a direct and profound link to solving the climate crisis is still very much unknown.


Media Projects


Emmy Award-Winning Showtime Series “Years of Living Dangerously,” Seasons 1 and 2

To broaden its audience base for their message about the important connection between deforestation and climate change, Jeff Horowitz joined the
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
docu-series, ''
Years of Living Dangerously ''Years of Living Dangerously'' is an American documentary television series, spread over two seasons, focusing on climate change. The first season, consisting of nine episodes, was broadcast on Showtime (TV channel), Showtime in 2014. The seco ...
'' as the co-producer of the first two episodes related to deforestation. Horowitz secured the participation of actor/conservationist Harrison Ford as the story's correspondent. The executive producers for this landmark Showtime climate change series were
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
, the late
Jerry Weintraub Jerome Charles "Jerry" Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. He began his career as a talent agent, having managed relatively unknown ...
, and former governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
, along with Emmy Award-winning former 60 Minutes producers
Joel Bach Joel Bach is an American journalist, television producer and environmentalist known for foundinThe YEARS Project a digital media organization focused on climate change, and his work on '' 60 Minutes'' with CBS News, where he won two Emmy Awards. ...
and David Gelber, and climate expert Daniel Abbasi. Dr.
Joseph Romm Joseph J. Romm (born June 27, 1960) is an American author, editor, physicist and climate expert, who advocates reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and increasing energy security through energy efficiency, green energy techno ...

ClimateProgress.org
served as the chief science advisor. The nine episode series aired in Spring 2014. The show won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Best Nonfiction Series. In addition to recognizing the show's executive producers, the Emmy also acknowledges the work of co-executive producer Solly Granatstein, supervising producer Jennifer Latham, senior producer Adam Bolt, and producer Jacob Kornbluth. ''Years of Living Dangerously'' "takes a compellingly fresh approach to showing the importance of climate hazards to human affairs…and – perhaps most important – revealing the roots of the polarizing divisions in society over this issue." Years is "constructed like a newsmagazine" and "each episode weaves together several reports, some done by journalists like Lesley Stahl or Chris Hayes, but most by a roster of celebrities that includes Mr. Ford, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Olivia Munn, Jessica Alba and Arnold Schwarzenegger." Other celebrity-correspondents include: Mark Bittman, America Ferrera, Thomas Friedman, Michael C. Hall, Chris Hayes, M. Sanjayan and Ian Somerhalder. For the deforestation segment, Jeff Horowitz worked with actor Harrison Ford as the story's correspondent. Mr. Ford, also an environmentalist, currently serves as the vice-chair of Conservation International's board. Mr. Ford's interview with Indonesia's Forestry Minister about the state of the forests in Tesso Nilo National Park continues to resonate. In addition to advising the executive producers on an episode that highlights problems of and solutions to deforestation, for the Indonesia segment, AD Partners secured interviews with key governmental officials and civil society personnel. Carrying the story back to the U.S., AD Partners developed the narrative about the ways in which sophisticated monitoring techniques can be used to track the culprits of deforestation. For this piece, AD Partners obtained permission to film at both NASA Ames Research Center and Google Earth, and to interview key scientists engaged in democratizing access to forest monitoring satellite data. AD Partners also put together a segment on how current agricultural practices – particularly those involved in the production of pulp and paper, cattle ranching, soy and palm oil – are largely responsible for widespread global deforestation, and how a group of manufacturers and retailers is leading the transformation of agricultural supply chains, and thereby creating a market for sustainable, deforestation-free goods. Season Two was broadcast by National Geographic in Fall 2016. Horowitz again collaborated with the Years Project as a co-executive producer and storytelling consultant for episodes about deforestation and climate change. The story for Season Two focused on the continued deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest. Titled "The Battle in the Forest," the episode features celebrity correspondent Gisele Bündchen as she travels to her home country to "see the extent of the damage and investigates what's being done to save the razilianrainforest for all of us." Ms. Bündchen's work for the docu-series builds on her work as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, as founder of Projeto Agua Limpa (Clean Water Project), and her participation in many other campaigns to raise awareness for environmental causes.


“Time to Choose,” a climate change documentary by Oscar-winning director-producer Charles Ferguson

Horowitz served as executive producer for Academy Award-winning director-producer Charles Ferguson's third documentary, “Time to Choose.” The film "explores the comprehensive scope of the climate change crisis and examines the power of solutions already available." “Time to Choose” debuted online on Huffington Post and in Paris during the international climate talks in 2015. The climate change solutions film is scheduled for global release in June 2016. In addition to serving as executive producer, Horowitz's efforts on the project led to the inclusion in the film of a number of rainforest advocates, including renowned primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE; the United National head of international climate negotiations (UNFCCC Secretary)
Christiana Figueres Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen (born 7 August 1956) is a Costa Rican diplomat who has led national, international and multilateral policy negotiations. She was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFC ...
; Unilever CEO Paul Polman; head of Indonesia's president's Delivery Unit for Development, Monitoring and Oversight Kuntoro Mangkusubroto; primatologist and Conservation International President Russell Mittermeier; California Governor Jerry Brown; and other important voices.


“Stop the Burning,” a short film about the importance of protecting forests, narrated by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE

Horowitz directed and produced “Stop the Burning,” a short film based on interviews he conducted with 30 global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2015. The 30 voices in “Stop the Burning” — from government, civil society and business – offer a collective message: deforestation must stop immediately if we are to protect our planet from the grim realities of climate change. Narrated by Dr. Jane Goodall, the fil
debuted
on Huffington Post and at the 2015 climate talks in Paris at the Grand Palais and other venues. “Stop the Burning” was also featured o
Upworthy
as part of their series in support of the climate talks. The short narrative film features, in order of appearance, the following forest advocates:
Andrew Steer, president and CEO, World Resources Institute
Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia
Marco Lambertini, director general, WWF International
Jeffrey Sachs, director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Robert Orr, assistant secretary-general, United Nations
Inger Andersen, director general, IUCN
Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International
Abdon Nababan, secretary general, Indigenous Peoples Groups, Indonesia
Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
David Maclennan, CEO, Cargill
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, UN Envoy For Climate Change
Justin Mundy, director, HRH Prince Charles’ Rainforest Project
Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico
Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund
Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, administrator, UNDP
Johan Rockström, executive director, Stockholm Resilience Center
Paul Bulcke, CEO, Nestlé, S.A.
Laurence Tubiana, ambassador for Climate Change, Govt. of France
Soren Schroder, CEO, Bunge Limited
Peter Bakker, president, World Bus. Council For Sustainable Development
Christiana Figueres, executive secretary, UNFCCC
Naoko Ishii, CEO and chair, Global Environment Facility
Jeremy Oppenheim, director, McKinsey and Company
Mark Tercek, president and CEO, The Nature Conservancy
Rachel Kyte, VP, special envoy, Climate Change Group, World Bank
Lord Nicholas Stern, chair, Grantham Institute, London School Of Economics
Erik Solheim, former minister of environment, Norway
Shinta Kamdani, vice chair, Indonesia Chamber of Commerce
Steve Howard, chief sustainability officer, Ikea
Richard Branson, chair, Virgin United


Jeff Horowitz, founder, Avoided Deforestation Partners

The organization's founder, Jeff Horowitz, began the organization by bringing together leaders from government, the private sector and civil society to advance practical, scalable solutions to protect tropical forests. His philosophy is that big environmental solutions can be achieved by forging alliances among groups that are not always accustomed to working together. His first successful application of this approach was during 2008-09, when Horowitz convinced a significant number of environmental NGOs, corporate representatives, and U.S. Government agencies to participate in developing a common approach to ending deforestation. Many viewed this strategy as the only way significant forest protection provisions would be inserted into the Waxman-Markey climate bill, now known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Horowitz's work lead to the inclusion of a suite of provisions that carried an estimated annual value of US$15 billion for reducing international deforestation. Businessweek and Politico reported that Horowitz played a key role during the drafting of U.S. Climate legislation to protect the rain forests, and helped to build consensus among a diverse group of players in the debate. Horowitz continues to serve as a facilitator across both for- and non-profit sectors for major environmental consensus-driven strategies for protecting international forests (and thereby the climate). In his role AD Partners’ founder, Horowitz is frequently called upon to participate in high level international climate change discussions. At the 2015 climate talks in Paris, he served as moderator for an “Earth to Paris” panel, which featured Drs. Jane Goodall and Sylvia Earle. In 2014, he was invited by the IUCN to attend their World Parks Congress and served as moderator for their panel, “World Leaders’ Dialogues: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be – how parks can help build a more resilient future.” Panel members included Paula Caballero, Senior Director, Environment and Natural Resources Management Global Practice, The World Bank Group; Sally Jewel, secretary of Interior, United States of America; President Tommy Esang Remengesau Jr., the eighth president of the Republic of Palau; Margareta Wahlström, secretary-general, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction; and Zhang Xinsheng, president of International Union for Conservation of Nature, executive chairman of the Eco-Forum Global, and president of China Education Association for International Exchange. Horowitz’s rainforest advocacy includes media projects for mainstream media audiences, and he has written guest columns for such outlets as the Huffington Post and Mongabay.com.


Mission

AD Partners’ mission is “dedicated to advancing U.S. and international climate and resource protection policies. In particular, the group promotes the concept of “avoided deforestation,” a term coined within the context of international climate change discussions. AD Partners brings together public, private and civil society leaders to inspire decision makers to implement strategies that promote sustainable agriculture that is free of deforestation.” To this end, AD Partners has convened international events that support United Nations efforts such as REDD+ (
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Reduction, reduced, or reduce may refer to: Science and technology Chemistry * Reduction (chemistry), part of a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction in which atoms have their oxidation state changed. ** Organic redox reaction, a redox reacti ...
) and the
Green Climate Fund The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. The GCF is ba ...
(see subhead: Support for International Forest Protection). In addition, the organization has developed partnerships between industry and government that promote resource conservation and the significant reduction of deforestation via sustainable agricultural practices. AD Partners has supported initiatives that monetize forests’
carbon storage Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes up o ...
capacity, thereby providing
carbon credits A carbon credit is a generic term for any tradable certificate or permit representing the right to emit a set amount of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas (tCO2e). Carbon credits and carbon markets are a compo ...
that governments and industry can buy to offset their emissions. This initiative essentially pays
developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
to protect and effectively manage their forests. The effort is intended to counter the lucrative practice of clearing
rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
s in such countries as
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
so that the land can be used for cattle grazing, planting
soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...
,
oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...
and other high-demand crops. However, some critics suggest that this top-down forest management approach does not adequately address the needs of communities on the ground.


Founder of The Tropical Forest Alliance: a public-private partnership to end tropical deforestation

Since 2011, AD Partners has been working with the
Consumer Goods Forum The Consumer Goods Forum is a global organization of 400 consumer goods companies with the likes of Amazon and Kellogg being involved. It represents combined sales of 2.5 trillion Euros across 70 countries and 10 million employees. Overview The C ...
(CGF), a consortium of some of the largest retailers and manufacturers in the world. CGF members include
Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...
,
Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...
,
General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
,
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, and
Kraft Foods The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015. A merger with Heinz, arra ...
; all told, CGF companies represent $3.1 trillion in annual sales. AD Partners has been working alongside the CGF to help facilitate their ambitious pledge to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. By mid-2012, AD Partners had brokered a partnership between the Consumer Goods Forum and the U.S. Government that would offer support to their deforestation-free sustainable supply chain initiatives. This partnership was announced by Ambassador Don Steinberg, USAID Deputy Administrator, during the AD Partners’ Rio+20 event on June 21, 2012. Event co-chairs Dr.
Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...
, DBE, and Sir
Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...
also voiced their support for this initiative. Elsewhere at the Rio+20 conference, U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
noted that the U.S. “is working with...the Consumer Goods Forum to combat deforestation through sustainable supply chains.” Along with the public-private partnership formed by the U.S. Government as a result of the AD Partners Rio+20 meeting, the non-governmental organization, the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 (TFA2020) was founded. The TFA2020's goal is to mobilize key private sector, governmental and civil society entities to help achieve zero net deforestation in tropical forest countries by 2020. The Consumer Goods Forum is a key member of this group.


Building Support for International Forest Protection

AD Partners advocates for global forest protection policies, such as REDD+, and convenes high level international events to demonstrate support and momentum for such policies during important conferences such as the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in th ...
(UNFCCC)
Conference of the Parties A conference of the parties (COP; french: Conférence des Parties, CP) is the supreme governing body of an international convention (treaty, written agreement between actors in international law). It is composed of representatives of the memb ...
(COP) and on Capitol Hill in the U.S. AD Partners events are used to advance forest protection strategies and as forums for special announcements that highlight key government and industry initiatives. For example, at the AD Partners’ event during COP15 in Copenhagen, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (; born December 13, 1950) is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. ...
announced the U.S.’s pledge of $1 billion, which encouraged five other nations to commit monies to REDD start-up funds, bringing the total available to $3.5 billion. Other speakers at the COP15 event included president of Guyana
Bharrat Jagdeo Bharrat Jagdeo (born 23 January 1964) is a Guyanese politician who has been serving as Vice President of Guyana since 2020, in the administration of President Irfaan Ali. He had previously also held the office from 1997 until 1999, during the pr ...
, World Bank President
Robert Zoellick Robert Bruce Zoellick (; ; born July 25, 1953) is an American public official and lawyer who was the eleventh president of the World Bank, a position he held from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sach ...
, UNDP head
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
(former Prime Minister of New Zealand), Governor Eduardo Braga (Amazonas State, Brazil), Sir
Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...
, Prime Minister of Norway
Jens Stoltenberg Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician who has been serving as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014. A member of the Norwegian Labour Party, he previously served as the 34th prime minister of Norway from 2000 to ...
, and Dr.
Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...
, DBE, as well as the heads of
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
, WWF-US, NRDC,
EDF EDF may refer to: Organisations * Eclaireurs de France, a French Scouting association * Education for Development Foundation, a Thai charity * Électricité de France, a French energy company ** EDF Energy, their British subsidiary ** EDF Luminus, ...
, TNC, CI, and high level executives from
American Electric Power American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest gen ...
and
Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...
. In 2010, during COP16 in Cancún, Mexico, United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...
was the keynote speaker at the AD Partners event. The Secretary General offered his support for the REDD+ initiative then being discussed in the negotiations. Walmart's chairman of the board,
Rob Walton Samuel Robson “Rob” Walton (born October 28, 1944) is an American billionaire heir to the fortune of Walmart, the world's largest retailer. He is the eldest son of Helen Walton and Sam Walton, and was chairman of Walmart from 1992 to 2015 ...
, announced his company's commitment to use only sustainably-sourced palm oil in the manufacturing of its private label products by 2015. Other event highlights included comments by Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who announced progress in his country's large-scale funding of forest-protection projects in Brazil and Indonesia. For COP17 in Durban, the AD Partners event featured a tribute to the late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Wangari Maathai Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental and a political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. As a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlift, she studied in the Un ...
. Event highlights included a keynote speech by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, video messages from U.S. President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, former U.S. President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who each communicated wholehearted support for the protection of international rainforests. Liberia's President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Mon ...
(who also won the Nobel Peace Prize that year) spoke through her foreign minister, Dr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh, and emphasized the urgent need for the Parties to embrace the Green Climate Fund as a critically important opportunity to help countries like Liberia meet the real challenges Africa is facing due to climate change.


U.S. Climate Legislation

The
American Clean Energy and Security Act The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) was an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress () that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. The bil ...
passed by the House of Representatives in June 2009 set a goal of conserving the carbon trapped in forests equal to 10% of U.S. emissions, and in doing so, set aside 5% of total emissions allowance value from carbon auctions, which could bring $3–5 billion a year, to the protection of forests in developing nations. The forest provisions of the so-called Waxman-Markey bill are informed by the 14 principles which comprise the "Tropical Forest and Climate Unity Agreement," a consensus document forged by AD Partners. The Senate's Kerry-Lieberman bill had the same broad goal for conserving forests but devoted no specific funds to stopping deforestation.


Tropical Forest and Climate Unity Agreement

In May 2009, groups including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Duke Energy and American Electric Power signed the "Tropical Forest and Climate Unity Agreement," a set of 14 specific principles endorsing market and non-market mechanisms to protect tropical forests as part of U.S. climate policy. The agreement, signed by groups who are typically at odds with one another, was facilitated by Horowitz. Signatories include: American Electric Power,
Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. T ...
,
Mercy Corps Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organizatio ...
,
National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...
, Natural Resources Defense Council, NorthWestern Energy, Ohio Corn Growers Association,
PG&E The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...
Corporation, Republicans for Environmental Protection,
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
Coffee Company,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
,
Union of Concerned Scientists The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is a nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. Anne Kapuscinski, Professor of Environmenta ...
, and
Virgin Group Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding c ...
. There are some indications (though they are not yet confirmed) that this agreement has become guidepost for the U.S. Government's forest-climate policy.


Origins

AD Partners was founded in 2007 by a small group of forest protection activists headed by Jeff Horowitz and Dr. Charlotte Streck. As the organization evolved, Horowitz became the driving force behind its initiatives, and of the partnership it forged among an international coalition of businesses and non-profit organizations. AD Partners is an informal network of individuals who donate their time and resources to advancing U.S. and international
climate and energy In the 21st century, the earth's climate and its energy policy interact and their relationship is studied and governed by a variety of national and international institutions. The relationships between energy-resource depletion, climate change, ...
policies along with business solutions that include robust incentives to protect tropical forests. AD Partners convenes public and private sector leaders to inspire decision makers to implement strategies that reduce deforestation. In addition to the founder, Jeff Horowitz, AD Partners is led by its executive director, Margaret Dick, Ph.D. Ms. Dick is responsible for communications strategy, international event coordination and implementation, and research projects. She has extensive experience in public relations and corporate communications. She holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and communication from Purdue University and is co-author of Communication and Social Understanding (2009).


References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em Environmental organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 2007 Deforestation International forestry organizations