EU is the second largest forest destroyer

According to the environmental organization WWF, the EU is in second place on the “world rankings of forest destroyers”. 16 percent of tropical deforestation went to the EU’s trading account. Only China exceeds this value.

The environmental protection organization WWF has denounced the European Union as the world’s second largest forest destroyer. A total of 16 percent of global tropical deforestation in connection with international trade was accounted for by the EU, explains the WWF in a new report. First place in the “world rankings of forest destroyers” is taken by China with 24 percent of global tropical forest destruction. India is in third place with nine percent, ahead of the USA with seven percent. The study is based on the information reported on satellite images and the study of trade flows. Between 2005 and 2017, Germany imported by far the most tropical wood within the EU, as the report says. On average, 43,700 hectares of forest would be destroyed for German imports every year.

“Forests are our life insurance”

The WWF called on the German government and the EU Commission to ensure better and binding environmental and social standards in international trade relations. As a first step, the federal government must lobby the EU Commission for a strong EU law for deforestation-free supply chains. “The era of the destruction of nature must end, because natural ecosystems such as forests are our life insurance,” explained Christiane Scholl from WWF. Voluntary declarations of intent from governments and companies to make supply chains free of deforestation have only stopped the destruction of nature in individual cases.

Soy, palm oil and beef are particularly responsible for deforestation

In addition to forests, the EU law must also protect other ecosystems. Otherwise, the destruction of nature would only shift from the forest to other ecosystems such as wetlands, grasslands and savannahs. However, these are just as important for the climate, biodiversity and the livelihood of local people as tropical forests Most of the tropical forests destroyed in the study period from 2005 to 2017 were imports of soy, palm oil and beef, followed by wood products, cocoa and coffee. In Brazil, Indonesia and Paraguay, EU consumption destroyed most of the forest area. As a result of imported deforestation, the EU indirectly caused 116 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2017. That corresponds to more than a quarter of EU emissions from agriculture in the same year.