In a reportedly long-awaited study, the European Commission found that the European Union accounts for 36% of all global imports of crop and livestock products tied to deforestation, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a European policy office.
The policy office is now calling for the E.U. to address its connection to deforestation with new laws and regulations.
“It’s clear that the E.U. needs to radically rethink the way it consumes,” stated Anke Schulmeister, senior forest policy officer at WWF. “We need powerful legislation to ensure that no product linked to deforestation or ecosystem destruction is allowed to enter the E.U. market, and we also need to support producer countries to address the challenges and drivers.”
Policy changes proposed include adding provisions to trade agreements to conserve or sustainably manage forests and other ecosystems, with strict enforcement measures.
The WWF report can be found here.
