{"id":7170,"date":"2019-06-11T07:39:08","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T07:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=7170"},"modified":"2019-11-06T08:21:53","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T08:21:53","slug":"50-million-hectares-destroyed-as-companies-disregard-zero-deforestation-pledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/7170\/50-million-hectares-destroyed-as-companies-disregard-zero-deforestation-pledge\/","title":{"rendered":"50 million hectares destroyed as companies disregard zero deforestation pledge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 11 June 2019 \u2013 At least 50 million hectares of forest \u2013 an area the size of Spain \u2013 is set to be destroyed for commodities during the 10 years of corporate commitments to end deforestation, according to new analysis by Greenpeace International.<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenpeace International\u2019s report Countdown to Extinction<\/span><\/a>, published today, comes as a thousand CEOs and senior managers of global brands gather in Vancouver for the <\/span>Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) global summit<\/span><\/a>. In 2010, CGF members \u2013 the world\u2019s largest consumer brands, including Nestl\u00e9, Mondelez and Unilever \u2013 promised to <\/span>end deforestation by 2020<\/span><\/a> through \u201cresponsible sourcing\u201d of cattle, palm oil, soya and other commodities. With just 200 days to go and their imminent failure to satisfy their commitments, forest protection and the climate crisis are not even on their <\/span>agenda<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese companies are destroying our children\u2019s future by driving us towards climate and ecological collapse. They\u2019ve wasted a decade on half-measures and in that time vast areas of the natural world have been destroyed. They should be in crisis talks right now, but they\u2019re still trying to grow demand for products that will drive forest destruction even further,\u201d said Anna Jones, Global Project Lead for Forests at Greenpeace UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2010, production and consumption of agricultural commodities linked to deforestation \u2013 including cattle, soya, palm oil, rubber and cocoa \u2013 has increased dramatically and continues to rise [1]. 80 percent of global deforestation is a direct result of agricultural production [2], releasing climate emissions equivalent to Japan, Germany and the UK combined.[3] <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Congo Basin, we are witnessing widespread environmental and human rights violations in the name of development and the global commodities trade. It’s all a kleptocracy where governments and companies collude to loot our natural resources and ordinary people pay the price,\u201d said Victorine CheThoener, Head of the Congo Basin forests campaign at Greenpeace Africa.<\/span> \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In early 2019, Greenpeace wrote to more than 50 companies [4] asking them to demonstrate their progress towards ending deforestation by disclosing their commodity suppliers. Of the handful that did disclose the information, all source from traders or producers linked to forest destruction and no company was able to demonstrate meaningful effort to end links to deforestation. <\/span><\/p>\n

All brands that disclosed suppliers were sourcing from commodities traders Bunge or Cargill, who buy soya from agribusinesses accused of landgrabbing and destroying the Brazilian Cerrado, the world\u2019s most wildlife-rich savannah. Around 90 percent of soya is used to feed animals to produce meat and dairy products. [5] Yet none of the companies Greenpeace contacted included animal feed in their deforestation reporting. They couldn\u2019t provide details on how much soya they were using for animal feed, let alone where it was sourced from. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile global attention has been focused on the Amazon, the soya and cattle industries have been trashing the Cerrado \u2013 destroying the local environment, aggravating the climate crisis, and displacing and committing violence against Indigenous and traditional populations that have occupied the territory for hundreds of years. Global brands must bring their suppliers under control,\u201d said Romulo Batista, Forests Campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following Greenpeace pressure on the palm oil industry last year, Wilmar International, the world\u2019s largest palm oil trader, committed to map and satellite monitor all of its suppliers. But this move has been ignored by other leading palm oil traders like Cargill, GAR and Musim Mas. <\/span>Last month<\/span><\/a>, the Indonesian government made matters even worse by ordering that no palm oil company publish data regarding its concessions. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Indonesian government\u2019s move stands to cause untold damage to the economy. Consumer brands would be unable to prove that the palm oil they\u2019re buying is deforestation-free and would have no choice but to stop buying palm oil altogether,\u201d said Kiki Taufik, Head of the Indonesian forests campaign at Greenpeace Indonesia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recent <\/span>IPCC<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>IPBES<\/span><\/a> reports contain the most urgent warnings yet from the world\u2019s top scientists on the need for radical reform of the agricultural industry and food system, including a shift from meat-rich to healthy plant-based diets, to prevent climate and ecological breakdown. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur message to companies is simple: evolve your business to prevent climate and ecological breakdown. The only alternative is to start winding down,\u201d said Anna Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photos:<\/b> https:\/\/media.greenpeace.org\/Share\/7n266014r2f54n7yvcor71ec6kox242h<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

– Click on an image to enlarge<\/span><\/p>\n

– Click download arrow underneath image and choose size (up to 2500 pixels)<\/span><\/p>\n

Please credit the photographer and Greenpeace.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes to editors:<\/b><\/p>\n

50 million hectares is a conservative estimate based on a combination of actual data on deforestation from 2010-15, tree cover loss from 2010-18 and forecasting until the end of 2019. From 2010-15 deforestation and tree cover loss combined was approximately 5 million hectares per year – according to scientific analysis of satellite mapping from NASA. If this rate continued, forest loss would reach 50 million hectares by the end of 2019. However, because tree cover loss has increased in the years 2016-18, it\u2019s likely deforestation will also have increased, so the actual figure could be much higher. <\/span><\/p>\n

[1] \u00a0Since 2010, the area planted with soya in Brazil has increased by 45%, Indonesian palm oil production is up 75% and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s cocoa footprint has grown by 80%. Worse is to come: by 2050, global meat consumption (and hence production) is also forecast to rise by 76%, soya production by nearly 45% and palm oil production by nearly 60%.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/span> Kissinger G, Herold M & De Sy V (2012) \u2018<\/span><\/i>Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation: A synthesis report for REDD+ policymakers<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2019 p11<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Annual net emissions from deforestation for agriculture and tree plantations in tropical countries alone averaged 2.6GtCO<\/span>2<\/span>. Pendrill F et al (2019) \u2018<\/span>Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions<\/span><\/a>\u2019 <\/span>Global Environmental Change<\/span><\/i> 56: 1\u201310. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is equivalent to the combined total emissions of Japan, Germany and the UK. <\/span>CAIT Climate Data Explorer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Companies written to include: <\/span><\/p>\n

Consumer goods companies, such as Unilever, Mars, Nestle, Mondelez, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg, Danone<\/span><\/p>\n

Retailers: Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour, Casino, Metro, Ahold Delhaize<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast food companies: McDonald\u2019s, Yum! brands (KFC), Burger King, Subway<\/span><\/p>\n

Meat producers: Tyson, Danepak, JBS, Marfrig, Danish Crown<\/span><\/p>\n

Dairy companies: Arla, Dairy Crest, FrieslandCampina<\/span><\/p>\n

Commodities traders: Cargill, ADM, Bunge, Wilmar, Louis Dreyfus, Cofco<\/span><\/p>\n

[5] \u00a0Sharma S, IATP & Schlesinger S (2017) \u2018<\/span>The rise of big meat: Brazil\u2019s extractive industry<\/span><\/a>\u2019 p25<\/span><\/p>\n

Contacts:<\/b><\/p>\n

Reykia Fick, Global Communications Lead – Greenpeace Forest campaign, Ottawa, Canada +1-819-918-0470 (EDT), <\/span>reykia.fick@greenpeace.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Alison Kirkman, Global Media Officer – Forests, Greenpeace UK, London +44 (0) 20 7865 8255 or +44 (0) 7896 893154 (BST), <\/span>alison.kirkman@greenpeace.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), <\/span>pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @greenpeacepress on twitter for our latest international press releases<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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