"Deforestation effect of UK consumption unsustainable, say MPs", 4 January 2024

UK consumption is having an “unsustainable” impact on the world, and contributing particularly highly to deforestation, a report by MPs has found.

Products such as soya, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather may be products of deforestation, and the environmental audit committee has found that the UK’s deforestation footprint per tonne of product consumed is higher than that of other countries including China, calling it “unsustainable”...

The government recently announced that the above products produced by illegal deforestation would be banned from the supply chain. But this only applies to a small part of the problem, because much deforestation is legal in the countries in which it occurs.

The report, released on Thursday, quotes Client Earth saying the ban creates “perverse incentives” for export countries to remove laws that protect forests, so the deforestation becomes legal and as a result the import of associated products to the UK is not banned.

The legislation, announced in December, has not yet passed through parliament. The UK ban has been criticised for not including popular commodities such as coffee...

MPs expressed alarm at the risks faced by the Indigenous people who protect many at-risk forests across the globe. Their voices are often ignored and they are disenfranchised from their land, frequently expelled from their ancient territories. The committee heard from Global Witness that one person is killed every other day defending land and the environment. The report says: “Indigenous peoples are protectors of the world’s forests and can possess detailed knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem trends. It is therefore critical that they are facilitated to participate fully in negotiations to address deforestation activity.” ...