A by-the-numbers look at how EU appetites drive deforestation

| June 11, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Deforestation

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Date of Publication: April 14

Year of Publication: 2021

Publication City: Brussels, Belgium

Publisher: Politico

Author(s): Louise Guillot

The Continent is the world’s second-largest driver of tropical deforestation.

European demand for everything from chocolate to soybeans and beef make the Continent the world’s second-largest driver of tropical deforestation after China, according to a new report.

That’s likely to add ammunition to the EU’s effort to address imported deforestation with a proposal due in June.

EU imports of key commodities are tied to the loss of an estimated 3.5 million hectares of tropical forests between 2005 and 2017, according to the report prepared by the WWF and released on Wednesday. That’s responsible for emitting more than 1.8 billion tons of CO2 — about 40 percent of the EU’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

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