Deforestation - A sustainable dilemma

Governments, regulators and industry are acting to combat deforestation, but questions remain over whether it will be fast and effective enough, panellists told a Friends of Europe Café Crossfire on 21 March.

Demand is growing for commodities such as palm oil, timber and soy, but their production has led to the conversion of forests to farmland. Deforestation is responsible for more than 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“As the world population increases, so does the need for vegetable oil – especially palm oil, which is cheap,” said Danielle Morley, European Director of Outreach and Engagement at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). “Palm oil continues to drive deforestation.”

The RSPO was established in 2004 to promote the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products. It issues certificates for palm oil that is produced according to specific criteria designed to reduce the negative impacts of cultivation on the environment and communities.

The Roundtable’s ability to bring together a wide variety of actors has won it the support of corporations such as banking group HSBC, which is using lending policy to promote sustainable business. “[RSPO] is the only organisation that does this,” said Brendan McNamara, Head of Global NGO Engagement at HSBC. “It may be imperfect – but the more stakeholders, the better it will be.”

In the context of efforts such as the RSPO, Indonesia has recently introduced significant regulations aimed at halting deforestation, added Nazir Foead, Head of the Indonesia Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). “In last two years, the Indonesian government has introduced a policy that goes beyond the RSPO standard,” he said.

Importers of commodities that lead to deforestation also have a responsibility, said Benedek Jávor MEP, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and European Young Leader (EYL40). “It is not just palm oil, but also soy beans in South America and meat production,” he said. “All are related. We are the drivers of deforestation in these countries, so we have to do our best to stop it.”

For effective action, the European Union needs to look beyond regulation. “Corruption is something we cannot exclude from our consideration,” said Jávor, a Hungarian who sits as a Green in the European Parliament. “Good governance is related to deforestation, so the EU has to be active in promoting good governance.”

One of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals calls for the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests and a halt to deforestation by 2020.

But progress towards this goal has been too slow, said Sebastien Risso, Director of EU Forest Policy at Greenpeace Europe. “A few groups are leading the way, but others are falling behind or not doing anything at all,” he said. “We are supposed to end deforestation by 2020, so now is moment to roll up our sleeves and take action.”

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