The effect of deforestation is making UK consumption unsustainable, MPs say |

The group believes that British consumers are a particularly large contributor to the world's deforestation

Aerial view of wildfires set to clear land for soybean cultivation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Photo: Andre Dib/WWF/PA

Helena Horton, Environment Correspondent, “The Guardian”

A report by MPs has concluded that UK consumption has an “unsustainable” impact on the world and contributes heavily to deforestation in particular.

Products such as soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather can be deforestation products and the Environmental Audit Committee found that the UK's deforestation footprint per tonne of product consumed is higher than other countries, including China. ”. ”. A deforestation footprint is like a carbon footprint. Indicates how much forest is destroyed per ton of material consumed. Scientists Calculated Deforestation Footprints of Several Countries analyzes trade patterns of goods associated with high levels of deforestation.

Govt Recently announced The aforementioned products produced through illegal deforestation will be banned from the supply chain. But this only applies to a small part of the problem, because most deforestation is legal in the countries where it occurs.

A report published on Thursday cited Client Earth as saying the ban creates a “perverse incentive” for exporting countries to remove forest protection laws, thus legalizing deforestation, and as a result, imports of the product to the UK are not banned.

The law, announced in December, has yet to be approved by parliament. The UK ban was criticized for not including popular products such as coffee.

MPs on the Environment Scrutiny Committee are calling for a report on ministers to develop a target to reduce the UK's impact on global deforestation, as well as a global footprint indicator to demonstrate that impact to the public. The report highlights that forests account for 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people and provide key ecosystem services to support local and global economies.

Deforestation contributes 11% of global carbon emissions. One The study was carried out by The RSPB and WWF concluded that the UK imports just seven forest-risk products – soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather, paper, rubber and timber. Every year. In the same study, research showed that 40% of the UK's overseas land footprint is in countries at risk of deforestation, with weak governance mechanisms and poor labor standards.

The report also urges the government to enact legislation to ensure that all forest-endangering products purchased by public bodies are certified as sustainable and do not lead to deforestation in sensitive areas. This will ensure that the UK Government does not purchase products linked to deforestation and sets an example for other industries. It called for UK timber regulations to ensure all imported timber is sustainably harvested, rather than preventing illegally harvested timber from entering the country.

MPs have warned of the risks faced by indigenous people who protect many of the world's endangered forests. Their voices are often ignored, and they are disenfranchised and often evicted from their former territories. The group heard from Global Witness that every two days someone is killed trying to protect land and the environment. The report states: “Conservators of the world's forests can have extensive knowledge of indigenous and biodiversity and environmental trends. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate their full participation in negotiations to find solutions to deforestation.”

Committee chairman Philip Dunne MP said: “UK consumption at current rates is having an unsustainable impact on the planet. UK markets must not be flooded with products that threaten the world's forests, the people who rely on them and the precious ecosystems that call them home. However, despite recent commitment before and after The Cop28 The UK needs to take concrete steps to reverse the trend at home, to invest more in anti-deforestation measures and the Amazon Fund to help reduce the rate of global deforestation.

“The Government's ambition and commitment at Cop26 to end deforestation by 2030 is very welcome, but they are now off track. His legislation on plans to require certain products to be certified as “sustainable” before being sold on UK markets was welcomed, but implementing legislation has yet to be tabled. The problem of deforestation There is little sense of urgency in bringing it under control quickly, which should match the rhetoric.

“Countries around the world contribute to deforestation and, of course, the international community needs to do more to combat deforestation. However, in some respects the intensity of consumption of forestry products in the UK exceeds China . This should be a warning to the government. To demonstrate real global leadership in this important area, the UK needs to demonstrate domestic policy progress and incorporate environmental and biodiversity protections into future trade deals.

A government spokesman said: “The UK is leading the way globally with new legislation to combat illegal deforestation to ensure the removal of materials from UK supply chains that contribute to the destruction of these vital habitats.

“This legislation has already been introduced through the Environment Act and is one of many measures to halt and reverse global forest loss.

“We are also investing in significant international projects to restore forests, which have prevented more than 410,000 hectares of deforestation to date, and support new green finance streams.”