According to the World Resource Institute between 12 and 17 percent of annual, global greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation. Every minute an equivalent of 2 football fields is lost, and if we keep going at this rate, in the next 100 years scientists speculate that all the rainforests on earth will have been destroyed.
Virgin Amazon rain forest surrounds patches of deforested land prepared for the planting of soybeans.
Norway took a massive step froward, committing to zero deforestation on May 24th. What this means is that the nation will ban any product that contributes to the deforestation of rainforests.
Nils Hermann Ranum of Rainforest Foundation Norway, said:
“This is an important victory in the fight to protect the rainforest. Over the last few years, a number of companies have committed to cease the procurement of goods that can be linked to destruction of the rainforest. Until now, this has not been matched by similar commitments from governments. Thus, it is highly positive that the Norwegian state is now following suit and making the same demands when it comes to public procurements.”
They also say they will find ways to source products like palm oil, soy, beef and timber so to leave as little to no damage to their ecosystem as possible, these products according to Climate action contributed to 40 percent of total tropical deforestation and 44 percent of associated carbon emissions between 2000 and 2011. So what Norway are doing is a massive deal, and let’s hope other countries soon follow in their footsteps.
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