Newsman: World leaders have agreed a deal that aims to halt and reverse global deforestation over the next decade as part of a multibillion-dollar package to tackle human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
By signing the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, leaders of countries representing 85 per cent of the world’s forests have committed to ending deforestation within nine years, in a renewed effort to stem the carbon dioxide emissions released by trees being cleared, overwhelmingly for agriculture.
It is also a breakthrough after years of negotiations on how to protect forests. There have been several different schemes to try and curb deforestation, including one that awarded credits to people conserving forests that could be traded on markets. These schemes often faced fierce opposition, particularly from Latin America, where indigenous groups and leaders said forests should be fully protected and not commodities.
On average, 10 million hectares of forest were cleared globally each year between 2015 and 2010, with an analysis saying last year that deforestation rates must fall by a million hectares every year to end deforestation by 2030.
The UN secretary general António Guterres said at the Cop26 conference ,the world was being driven to the brink by an addiction to fossil fuels. “We are fast approaching tipping points that will trigger escalating feedback loops of global heating,” he warned.
The EU, China and the US alongside major forested countries like Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea, all signed the agreement.
The commitment on nature and forests comes as more than 120 world leaders came together in Glasgow to thrash out fresh commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, amid concerns that key countries have failed to step up.
The Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, to be issued on 2 November by over 100 countries plus the European Union at the COP26 climate summit, comes alongside £14 billion of new funding to combat forest loss over five years. The money is being supplied by 12 countries including the UK, plus private organisations including the Bezos Earth Fund.
In a further initiative, 30 financial institutions managing $8.7 trillion in assets, including the UK-based firms Aviva and Schroders, announced on 2 November that they will no longer invest in activities linked to deforestation.
Experts welcomed the renewed focus on forests and the new funding, but warned that the way deforestation is tackled will be key to whether the 2030 goal is met.
Land-clearing by humans accounts for almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, largely deriving from the destruction of the world’s forests for agricultural products such as palm oil, soy and beef.
Leaders committed by the declaration at Cop26 in Glasgow on Tuesday to protect vast areas, ranging from the eastern Siberian taiga to the Congo basin, home to the world’s second largest rainforest.
Boris Johnson unveiled the agreement at event attended by the US president, Joe Biden, the Prince of Wales and the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo. He said: “These great teeming ecosystems – these cathedrals of nature – are the lungs of our planet. Forests support communities, livelihoods and food supply, and absorb the carbon we pump into the atmosphere. They are essential to our very survival.”
US President Joe Biden said, leaders need to approach the issue of deforestation” with the same seriousness of purpose as decarbonizing our economies.”
“The United States is going to lead by example at home,” he said at the second day of the conference, citing executive orders signed earlier in his administration that set land aside for conservation.
In the event devoted to speeches by presidents and prime ministers that underlined the scale of the challenges ahead, Johnson said future generations “will judge us with bitterness” if the conference fails.
In a recorded message, the Queen called on leaders to “rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship”. She added: “Of course, the benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today: we none of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow in their footsteps.”
India pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2070. Although it is the first time the world’s third biggest polluter has set this target, and experts said it was a realistic commitment, it is 20 years behind the 2050 date set agreed by other developed countries.
President Biden warned that greater urgency was needed at the talks: “Right now, we are falling short. There’s no time to hang back, sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves.”
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The political declaration, which is voluntary and not part of the Paris process, is one of a range of side deals that the UK presidency is pushing for at the climate summit in Glasgow alongside others on methane, cars and coal.
The package includes £5.3bn of new private finance and £8.75bn of public funding for restoring degraded land, supporting indigenous communities, protecting forests and mitigating wildfire damage.
A pledge from CEOs to eliminate activities linked to deforestation, and £1.5bn funding from the UK government for forests, are also part of the deal. £350m of that will go to Indonesia and £200m to the Congo basin, with a new £1.1bn fund for the west African rainforest. In a separate announcement, at least £1.25bn of funding will be given directly to indigenous peoples and local communities by governments and philanthropists for their role in protecting forests.
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Previous deals to save forests have so far failed to stop their destruction, including in 2014. According to Carlos Rittl, who works on Brazil for the Rainforest Foundation Norway? “Big cheques won’t save the forests if the money doesn’t go into the right hands,” he said, emphasising that it should go to indigenous groups and others who are committed to protecting the forest.
The deal is consequential to the climate as forests, when they are logged or degrade, emit carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, accounting for around 11% of the world’s total CO2 emissions.
Twelve donor countries have committed £8.75 billion ($12 billion) of public funds to protection and restoration, alongside £5.3 billion ($7.2 billion) of private investment. CEOs from more than dozens of financial institutions, including Aviva, Schroders and Axa, are also committing to ending investment in activities that lead to deforestation.
The pledge was first announced by the British government on Monday evening in a statement, and was trumpeted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a “landmark agreement to protect and restore the earth’s forests.”
“These great teeming ecosystems — these cathedrals of nature – are the lungs of our planet,” the statement said, referring to remarks Johnson is expected to make Tuesday. “Forests support communities, livelihoods and food supply, and absorb the carbon we pump into the atmosphere. They are essential to our very survival.”
“With today’s unprecedented pledges, we will have a chance to end humanity’s long history as nature’s conqueror, and instead become its custodian.”
“Indonesia is blessed as the most carbon rich country in the world on vast rainforests, mangroves, oceans and peatlands,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting these critical carbon sinks and our natural capital for future generations.”
Rainforest Foundation Norway welcomed the deal, but said that funding should only be given to countries that showed results.
“This is the largest amount of forest funding ever pledged and it comes at a crucial time for the world’s rainforests. The new commitments have the potential to speed up necessary action from both governments and companies. We hope this funding will spur the political changes needed,” said Rainforest Foundation Norway Secretary General Toerris Jaeger in a statement.
“With big money comes big opportunities, but also great responsibilities. There is not time for baby-steps. Funding should therefore only reward real and substantial action taken by rainforest countries and those who respect the rights of Indigenous people and local communities.”
The 2030 goal is identical to one made seven years ago by a smaller group of countries, known as the New York Declaration on Forests. They also set an interim goal of halving deforestation by 2020, a target that was missed by a wide margin.
However, a key difference is the new plan is signed by several countries that were missing last time, including those with the worst levels of deforestation. Brazil, where deforestation rates have rocketed under President Jair Bolsonaro, is chief among those. “Having all the main players on it is significant, that is a big step,” says Stephanie Roe at the University of Virginia.
