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A man collects mangroves which are sold to Conakry, Guinea, September 20, 2023. /CFP
A man collects mangroves which are sold to Conakry, Guinea, September 20, 2023. /CFP
The world is moving too slowly to meet pledges to end deforestation by 2030, with the destruction worsening in 2022, according to a report by a coalition of environmental organizations released on Monday.
More than 140 countries – representing the vast majority of the world’s woodlands – pledged at the 2021 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation by the end of the decade.
Yet deforestation increased by 4 percent worldwide in 2022 compared with 2021, as some 66,000 square kilometers (25,000 square miles) were destroyed, the annual Forest Declaration Assessment report said. That means the world is 21 percent off track to end deforestation by 2030.
“The world’s forests are in crisis. The opportunity to make progress is passing us by,” said Erin Matson, a senior consultant at environmental group Climate Focus.
A view of a harbor with Mangroves, September 20, 2023. /CFP
A view of a harbor with Mangroves, September 20, 2023. /CFP
The report was conducted by a coalition of civil society and research organizations who assess progress towards pledges to eliminate deforestation by 2030.
That includes the Glasgow pledge and the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests, which saw a shorter list of countries as well as dozens of the world’s biggest companies make a similar commitment.
Efforts to preserve old-growth tropical forests – prized for their dense carbon content and rich biodiversity – are 33 percent off track, with 4.1 million hectares lost in 2022, according to the study.
(With input from Reuters)
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