We can only look at the planet's future with hope

It's that time of the year world leaders seem extremely concerned about climate change, the changing weather conditions, the fate of humankind and the world it inhabits. Yet it is heartening to note some world leaders still spare a thought for the planet, even if for different reasons.

The ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, has a lot on its agenda, the prime one being finalizing the rules of the 2015 Paris Agreement. And although not on the negotiations agenda, the conference is expected to discuss the forest policy, because the negotiations on market mechanisms, transparency and guidelines for building Nationally Determined Contributions will directly affect forests. Which has acquired added importance in the light of forest loss increasing significantly in Brazil even though it has decreased in Indonesia.

In particular, concluding the negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is essential for finalizing deals on market mechanisms before 2020, so countries can use the to be created markets to fulfill their NDCs that in turn will allow them to channel funds for forest conservation.