Earth Science News
WOOD PILE
Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
by AFP Staff Writers
Brasilia (AFP) Oct 3, 2024

Brazil's government on Thursday joined Asian palm oil and coffee producers in welcoming a European Union decision to delay implementation of new anti-deforestation rules which had faced strong global pushback.

Brazil, the United States and other countries had criticized the law -- which aims to prevent the import of products that drive deforestation -- as being too complex, arguing it would particularly hurt small-scale producers.

It had been due to take effect at the end of 2024 but the European Commission on Wednesday proposed delaying implementation for large companies until the end of 2025.

Small businesses will have until June 2026 to comply.

Welcoming the postponement, Brazil's agriculture ministry told AFP it was the fruit of "international dialogue, in which Brazil had a key role in underlining the concerns of our producers."

The ministry added that Brazil, home to about two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest, huge chunks of which have been felled for agriculture, remained "firmly committed to environmental preservation" and would seek to "ensure fair adaptation to the new European rules."

Asian commodity producers also expressed relief over the extension but environmentalist groups voiced outrage.

Greenpeace declared EU chief Ursula von der Leyen "might as well have wielded the chainsaw herself" to the forests.

The Brazilian Climate Observatory called the extension a "shameful step backwards" which jeopardized the fight against deforestation as the country chokes from the smoke from thousands of fires caused mainly by clearing the Amazon.

"Europe is deliberately renouncing an instrument that could help reduce the pressure on natural ecosystems and carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation," it said in a statement.

The EU's new law requires exporters of timber, cattle, cocoa, soy, palm oil, rubber, coffee -- and items derived from those products -- to certify their goods were not produced on land deforested after December 2020.

The EU is the second-biggest market for the targeted products after China.

Brazil in September asked the EU to postpone the legislation, complaining that the "punitive" rules increased production and export costs, especially for smallholders.

Germany and other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America had also insisted that companies needed more time to prepare.

- Divided opinions -

Nguyen Xuan Loi, head of Vietnamese coffee exporter An Thai Group, hailed the delay as a "positive move."

"In reality, Vietnam has been strictly managing deforestation issues," he told AFP. "There are hardly any violations anymore."

There was also relief in some sectors in Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, a key driver of deforestation.

"Our calls have been listened to," said Eddy Martono, chairman of the country's leading palm oil association.

Indonesian environmental group WALHI said however it could "not imagine how much more land-clearing or deforestation the one-year delay could cause in West Kalimantan and other places like Papua."

EU imports accounted for 16 percent of deforestation linked to global trade in 2017, according to WWF.

When the law was adopted in 2023 it was hailed as a major breakthrough to protect nature and the climate.

Under the law, firms importing the merchandise to the 27-nation EU will be responsible for tracking their supply chains to prove goods did not originate from deforested zones, relying on geolocation and satellite data.

Exporting countries considered high-risk would have at least nine percent of products sent to the EU subjected to checks.

The postponement of the law has yet to be approved by the European Parliament and member states.

Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Oct 2, 2024 - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed to delay by a year a ban on imports of products driving deforestation that has faced pushback from countries around the world.

The move triggered an immediate outcry from environmental groups, which had hailed the unprecedented law as a major breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and the climate.

The legislation, which will bar a vast range of goods -- from coffee to cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber -- if produced using land that was deforested after December 2020, was set to take effect at the end of this year.

But the EU's top executive body faced mounting pressure to postpone the ban after trading partners from Brazil to the United States and even European heavyweight Germany spoke out against it.

Citing "feedback received from international partners about their state of preparations", the commission said it was proposing a delay to "give concerned parties additional time to prepare".

The "extra 12 months", which need to be approved by the European Parliament and member states, would serve as a "phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation" of the law adopted in mid-2023, it said.

- 'Nature vandalism' -

EU imports are responsible for 16 percent of global deforestation, according to WWF data.

Forests absorb carbon and are a vital element in fighting climate change. They are also critical for the survival of endangered plants and animals, such as orangutans and lowland gorillas.

Environmental group Mighty Earth described the proposed delay as an "act of nature vandalism".

"Delaying... is like throwing a fire extinguisher out of the window of a burning building," said the Mighty Earth's senior policy director Julian Oram.

Greenpeace called the delay "inexcusable". EU chief Ursula von der Leyen "might as well have wielded the chainsaw herself", it added.

Germany became the latest nation to call for a delayed rollout in September, saying the conditions were not yet there for the law to be efficiently applied.

Brazil, the United States and other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have complained the rules increased production and export costs, especially for smallholders.

Others objected that, with only a few months to go, the EU had yet to issue the promised compliance guidelines as well as a clear benchmarking system to divide countries into different risk categories.

The commission addressed the latter concern on Wednesday, publishing documents it said would provide additional clarity to companies and enforcing authorities -- as well as the methodology it will use for the benchmarking system.

A large majority of countries worldwide will be classified as "low risk", it said.

- 'Time to prepare' -

Germany's Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir welcomed the delay. It would give companies and countries "time to prepare adequately for the implementation of this important regulation", he said.

Critics have cast the anti-deforestation law as a major obstacle to reaching a free trade agreement between the EU and South American bloc Mercosur -- a plan championed by Germany, whose Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Wednesday for a rapid conclusion to the talks.

Under the law, firms importing the merchandise in question to the 27-nation EU will be responsible for tracking their supply chains to prove goods did not originate from deforested zones, relying on geolocation and satellite data.

Exporting countries considered high-risk would have at least nine percent of products sent to the EU subjected to checks, with the proportion falling for lower-risk ones.

The postponement would see the rules enter into force for large companies on December 30, 2025.

"Micro- and small enterprises" will have until June 30, 2026 to comply, the commission said.

"The extension proposal in no way puts into question the objectives or the substance of the law," it added.

But Luciana Tellez Chavez, a senior researcher on the environment at Human Rights Watch, accused von der Leyen of sabotaging "the most significant environmental legislation passed during her previous term".

The delay punished "all the companies and EU trading partners who deployed efforts and resources to comply" on time, and contradicted European commitments to end forest loss, she said.

The EU is the second-biggest market for the targeted products after China.

burs-ub/ec/jj

Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WOOD PILE
Researchers develop new method to track forest dieback through satellite imagery
Paris, France (SPX) Sep 26, 2024
Forests cover about a third of Earth's surface and are vital for carbon storage, water regulation, timber production, soil protection, and biodiversity. Climate change has accelerated the decline of these services, as forests face various biotic and abiotic disturbances. One of the significant challenges is tree dieback caused by insect infestations and disease outbreaks, which disrupt ecosystems on a large scale. Monitoring forest health is essential to managing and possibly preventing tree dieba ... read more

WOOD PILE
Taiwan cleans up after Typhoon Krathon batters south

A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help

UN raises plight of migrant workers in Lebanon; Sierra Leone migrants trapped

1,000 troops to be mobilized to support Helene recovery

WOOD PILE
Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region

Meta says to produce virtual reality headsets in Vietnam

Germany inaugurates IBM's first European quantum data centre

Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store

WOOD PILE
Shrinking lake on Albanian-Greek border struggles to survive

Water production from thin air observed in real-time

Mexico leader worried about drinking water after Hurricane John

New Zealand navy ship scuttled on Samoa reef

WOOD PILE
Antarctic vegetation expanding rapidly in response to climate change

Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers

Study links climate change to explosive methane release in Siberian permafrost

Unique polar light conditions may promote biodiversity through hybridization

WOOD PILE
EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling

China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience

Breeder who tried to create enormous trophy sheep jailed in US

Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine

WOOD PILE
Two more found dead in Taiwan after Typhoon Krathon

Southeast US reels as storm Helene death toll passes 210

Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods; Storm flood kills man in western Greece

Chad sounds alarm as heavy rains swell two rivers

WOOD PILE
'We don't want to die here': Sierra Leone migrants trapped in Lebanon

Air strikes in Khartoum as Sudan army attacks paramilitary positions

Disappeared Guinea colonel announced dead: lawyer

Mali tries top former officials over presidential jet purchase

WOOD PILE
Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'

How dogs and humans communicate through shared language

Trauma impacts pain and loneliness in end-of-life care

Can we 'recharge' our cells?

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.