FairPlanet.Support
| topic: | Deforestation |
|---|---|
| tags: | #European Union, #European Parliament, #deforestation, #Amazonia, #mining, #petition |
| located: | Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Brazil, Colombia |
| by: | Yair Oded |
The EU is responsible for 10 per cent of global deforestation, a June 2020 report by the European Parliament finds.
From meat, palm oil, and chocolate to electronic devices and burned biofuel - many products consumed by Europeans today are directly linked to the devastation of forests and other natural resources, particularly across Latin America and Asia, that are decimated both by giant corporations and illegal loggers and miners.
Local governments have long been turning a blind eye to or actively enabling unfettered deforestation in their territories in order to boost sprawling agriculture and increase business’ revenue from logging and mining. Western governments, including in the EU, have been acting as either deliberate or de facto collaborators in the decimation of forests, by doing business with industries that accelerate deforestation.
In addition to annihilating entire wildlife species and destroying the habitats and livelihoods of Indigenous populations, deforestation also dampens our already insufficient efforts to tackle the climate crisis, as forests play a critical role in sequestering greenhouse gas emissions.
Indigenous peoples’ campaigns to defend their lands from extractive industries often result in the murder of Native leaders and activists and terrorising of their communities. Globally, an average of four indigenous leaders have been assassinated every week since 2015.
A petition launched by #Together4Forests is calling on the EU to end its part in decimating world forests by enacting strong laws that keep products linked to deforestation out of the EU market.
The EU is currently accepting public consultation on the Union’s action to tackle deforestation, and this petition could help send European lawmakers a clear message that the public demands a reduction in the EU’s forest destruction footprint.
“Your local milk could come from cows fed on soy from land once covered in spectacular forests. The cookies you love may contain unsustainable palm oil or cocoa cultivated on land snatched from Indigenous Peoples,” the petition reads. “This must be stopped - let’s get deforestation off our plates.”
Click here to sign the petition and add your name to the growing demand from EU lawmakers to pass laws that end the Union’s participation in the devastation of global forests, decimation of wildlife, and violation of human rights.
Image: Manoel Ferreira
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