Here’s a short recap on what it is and what’s next
The Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use was COP26’s first major deal, and for good reason.
Why do forests matter?
If tropical deforestation were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide on Earth.
Forests are essential to address a host of environmental, societal, and climate issues, spanning from extreme heat, wildfires, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. They are also excellent carbon sinks, currently removing approximately 20% of global carbon emissions from the atmosphere each year. More than just helping slow climate change, forest protection and growth can be powerful economic drivers that create jobs.
What is the pledge about?
Almost 140 world leaders have promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030 at COP26. The pledge includes $19.2bn of public and private funds, some of which will go to developing countries to restore damaged land, tackle wildfires, and support indigenous communities. A $1.5bn fund will be created to protect the world’s second largest tropical rainforest, in the Congo Basin. Governments of 28 countries also committed to remove deforestation from the global trade of food and other agricultural products such as palm oil, soya and cocoa.
Who signed the pledge?
The countries who have signed the pledge cover over 90% of the world’s forests. Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the US and the UK are among the over 100 countries that committed to ending deforestation by 2030. The full list of countries is available HERE.
From the GCC region, only the United Arab Emirates signed Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use so far.
How will the UAE implement the pledge?
While the UAE does not have a rainforest, it has mangrove forests, which are excellent carbon sinks. It is estimated that 10 square kilometers of mangrove forest store the same amount of carbon as 50 sq km of tropical upland forest.
To expand its blue-carbon ecosystems, in line with its 2050 Net Zero strategy, the UAE will plant 30 million mangroves by 2030, adding to the already existing 60 million mangrove trees.
What do critics say about the pledge?
Experts welcomed the move, but warned that a similar deal signed in 2014, the New York Declaration on Forests, failed to slow deforestation. While it also set a target to end deforestation by 2030 with an interim goal of a 50 percent reduction by 2020, rates of forest loss were 41% higher in the years after that declaration compared to the years preceding it. In fact, a forest area the size of the United Kingdom is being lost annually.
Moreover, two days after the Glasgow declaration was announced, Indonesia—one of the most heavily forested countries— walked back its commitment. The main issue, in fact, is that currently there is no framework, nor alignment on how countries should actually meet their targets.
Is there room for optimism?
More leaders than ever before signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Among them, the two countries with the most extensive forest area — Brazil and Russia — and the one with the fifth highest amount of forest – China -, which were not among the signatories of the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests.
Also, the pledge is backed by significant funding and more than 30 of the world’s biggest financial companies – including Aviva, Schroders, and Axa – announced they will stop investmenting in activities linked to deforestation.
How can I support the pledge to end deforestation?
Avoiding deforestation and protecting existing forests are the most powerful Nature-based solutions we have to address climate change. Olive Gaea, the MENA region’s first carbon offsetting platform, supports a wide portfolio of Nature-based projects from South America through to Africa and Asia that fight deforestation and help businesses and individuals achieve carbon neutrality in just a few clicks.
Find out more about the projects we support – all handpicked and verified by recognised third party agencies – at https://olivegaea.com/projects.
