A win for the trees

It’s encouraging to see climate news top of the agenda this week as COP26 in Glasgow has kicked off. And we already have a win for the planet!

Over 100 countries have pledged to stop deforestation by 2030. We lose a football pitch sized bit of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil every minute, and that’s just one country.

$14 billion of public and private funding has been promised with $1.7 billion going directly to ingenious people. This recognises their vital role in conserving the forests they reside in and will help strengthen their land rights. The total fund pot is expected to go towards tackling wildfires and restoring already damaged land.

We will have a chance to end humanity's long history as nature's conqueror, and instead become its custodian.

Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister

The world leaders signing the agreement cover 85% of the world’s forests and it’s hoped that 200 million hectares of forests and other ecosystems will be restored by 2030.

We're going to work to ensure markets recognize the true economic value of natural carbon sinks and motivate governments, landowners and stakeholders to prioritize conservation.

Joe Biden, US President

There was a previous commitment made in 2014, the New York Declaration of Forests which had only 40 participating countries. This goes much further and lays out resources to reach the agreement’s goal.

Obviously we need to wait and see how this plays out. It will require immense planning and detail, so watch this space to see the long term impact of these promises.