Forest conservation training in Spain. Photo GEUTREE The shrinking forest area seriously threatens the living environment, when the “green lung” is being destroyed every day. The destruction of nearly 70% of the world’s primary tropical forests has exacerbated climate change and biodiversity loss. Primeval rainforests, which are considered “natural buffers” to prevent climate change, are rapidly disappearing because of devastating human activities. According to the Rainforest Foundation Norway nonprofit, between 2002 and 2019, total forest loss was estimated to be greater than that of France. While another study by the World Resources Institute, on average, every six seconds, the area of ​​forest the equivalent of a football field disappears. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Australia, stressed that every year, the world loses 4.7 million hectares of forests, larger than the area of ​​Denmark. The International Organization for the Conservation of Nature (WWF) data shows that only 29 “hotspots” in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia account for 50% of the total deforestation area. bridge. Unsustainable agriculture is one of the main reasons for the disappearance of green forests. A huge area of ​​forest continues to be destroyed every year, mainly for large-scale agriculture. The biodiversity areas have been cleared for farming and livestock. In addition to the degradation of 30% of the forest, logging and land conversion, mainly for agriculture, have wiped out up to 34% of the world’s primary rainforests, leaving the rest of the forest standing. before the danger of further destruction in the future. Brazil’s Ammon forest has been a region of great pressure in the past decades as agricultural development has exploded. According to research by the Ammonia Geographical Reference Social Information Network (RAISG), about 8% of the world’s largest rainforest was destroyed between 2000 and 2018. Annual deforestation tripled between 2015 and 2018. With about 60% of Ammonia forest located in Brazil, the National Institute of Space Research Brazil (INPE The number of wildfires in this South American country increased by 12.7% in 2020, the highest level in the past decade. After Amonon in South America, the East-South Asian islands, largely in Indonesia, ranked second in deforestation since 2002, with most of the area The forest was cut down for palm oil plantations. Central Africa ranks third, with much of the destruction concentrated around the Congo River basin, due to logging and livestock. Scientists have warned about the implications of deforestation on the habitats of wild fauna and flora. Forests cover one third of the Earth’s land area and are home to 80% of all terrestrial wildlife and fauna. Meanwhile, about 90% of the world’s poorest depend on forest resources. The Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) affirmed that forests play an important environmental role and provide essential services to millions of people. Many communities rely on forests for their livelihoods, as well as to ensure vast food security, climate regulation and stabilize the global economy. The dense tropical vegetation acts as the largest carbon reservoir, so the lost forest area is the main factor causing the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, causing the global temperature to heat up. The green forest has called out “cry for help” in the face of being destroyed by human activities. The United Nations and natural environment protection agencies call on the world to have a plan to help harmonize forest protection and wildlife habitat conservation with socio-economic benefits for people. people. Promoting human-appropriate wildlife and forest management models and measures, conservation of forest ecosystems and biodiversity is necessary and urgent.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. (Source: agnetwest.com)

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai April 15 said international trade activities have prompted many countries to reduce environmental protection measures to attract investment, and regulations on global trade is necessary to prevent the “race to the bottom.”

“Race to the bottom” is a socio-economic term to describe the government’s deregulation of the business environment, or reduction of tax rates, in order to attract or maintain economic activity.

In her speech at the Center for American Progress, Ms. Tai said the notion that environmental problems are not part of trade ignores the fact that existing rules of globalization encourage less pressure. for environmental protection. This puts countries with higher environmental standards at a competitive disadvantage.

Speaking ahead of the online climate change summit on President Joe Biden’s initiative next week, Ms. Tai said she was committed to strengthening rules within the World Trade Organization (WTO). to combat problems like illegal fishing and overfishing.

According to her, countries should use commercial policies and trade enforcement actions to protect forests, because “forests are considered the lungs of the Earth.”

However, these regulations will be ineffective if they are not enforced. In the future, trade plays a role in preventing the “race to the bottom” and encouraging the “race to the top” (for the environment).

Ms. Tai noted that this is only done on a global scale through global regulations.

In the context that the world is deviating from meeting the goals of limiting global warming, many countries have signed in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change 2015, President Biden hopes next week’s summit will deliver stronger commitments ahead of the UN-hosted Climate Change Conference in Glasgow later this year.

Just days after taking office in January 2021, the US leader signed executive orders he said would “advance ambitious plans to respond to the threat of climate change.”

Mr. Biden announced that Washington will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and is expected to announce an ambitious emission target by 2030./.