FERN

The EU must not greenwash the future destruction of the Amazon

As the political divide over the Mercosur trade deal widens, its advocates argue that shelving it will damage the EU’s credibility. The opposite is true, writes Perrine Fournier.

The EU’s watershed deforestation moment?

This week Ursula von der Leyen signalled the EU’s desire to lead the world in the fight against global deforestation. But if the key drivers of deforestation aren’t addressed, progress will remain limited, writes Julia Christian.

The hyping of negative emissions

EU lawmaker Jytte Guteland has proposed ambitious EU climate targets, but a cornerstone for reaching them remains shaky, says Kelsey Perlman.

Von der Leyen’s first 100 days: Are Europe’s forests – and the climate – in good hands?

The Green Deal promoted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has the potential to strengthen European, as well as global, forests and make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, writes Hannah Mowat.

A bitter taste

Europe’s chocolate habit is driving the world’s fastest rising deforestation rates. We need new EU laws to stop this, writes Julia Christian.

The EU’s trade challenge

The international trading system is facing a crisis – but protectionism isn’t the biggest test EU leaders must deal with, writes Perrine Fournier.

Forests and Frankfurters: Why Germans’ love of meat is causing destruction in Latin America

Farming is the world’s biggest driver of deforestation, and beef and soya production are the prime culprits, writes Nicole Polster.

EU-Japan free trade deal threatens the fight for legal timber

While moves towards greater international cooperation are welcome, the EU’s growing number of new free trade deals must be scrutinised. And in the case of the Japan-EU free trade agreement, the deal’s impact on the fight against illegal timber is a pressing concern, writes Perrine Fournier.

The inherent dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)

As the European Commission considers its long-term strategy to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions, Julia Christian says they must reject an unproven and dangerous technology in favour of protecting and restoring natural forests.

Could EU-Indonesia free trade deal end palm oil conundrum?

As a new round of free trade negotiations between the European Union and Indonesia begins in Brussels, Perrine Fournier argues that improving forest governance should be central to any agreement.

Commission study shows path to end agricultural deforestation – now it must act

A new feasibility study on options to fight deforestation will be a litmus test for the European Union’s commitment to halt deforestation by 2020, writes Nicole Polsterer.

The EU’s bioenergy policy isn’t just damaging the climate and forests, it’s killing people

The debate about the impact of burning solid biomass on air quality was steadfastly ignored by European Commission in revising the EU’s renewable energy policy. It is not too late for the European Parliament to rectify this, writes Linde Zuidema.

Europe’s climate strategy of burning wood for energy isn’t working

Opposition to the use of forest biomass for energy generation is going mainstream, writes Linde Zuidema, as evidence builds that wood is being burnt in large scale inefficient coal-fired power stations.

Decision time for EU forest and climate policy

Forests are uniquely linked to climate change because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So why is the EU on the verge of following a disastrous path in a key area of climate policy? wonders Hanna Aho.

Will the European Parliament take the high road on climate and forests?

Ahead of a European Parliament vote on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), Hannah Aho explains how MEPs have both strengthened and weakened draft forest rules she says are essential in the fight against climate change.

EU has opportunity to seize global leadership on forests and climate

Former ‘climate heroes’ France, Finland, Sweden and Austria are fighting tooth and nail to weaken EU land accounting rules, also known as the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation, writes Hannah Mowat.

Bioenergy policy being driven by ‘alternative facts’

Today is the International Day of Forests: 1.6 billion people rely on them for their livelihoods; they are home to more than 80% of the terrestrial life; and they’re a crucial bulwark against climate change, writes Linde Zuidema.

Magic tricks in the forest: When member states make their emissions vanish

Countries are free to manage their forests as they choose, but reducing them to a tool of light-fingered carbon accounting can leave world deprived of vital carbon sinks, writes Hannah Mowat.  

Illegal timber trade set for the chop

The first batch of timber considered legal under Europe’s most innovative ever anti-illegal logging policy arrived in the UK this week as the fight against the illegal trade in wood gathers momentum, writes Saskia Ozinga.

Where are forests in Europe’s Sustainable Development Goals plans?

Forests are vital to achieving the SDGs and the aims of the Paris Agreement. Without action to protect forests, the problems posed by poverty and climate change will only get worse, writes Indra Van Gisbergen.

The EU’s dangerous biomass delusion

Bioenergy advocates claim that Europe’s forests are well managed and don’t contribute to global warming. Yet, biomass production in Europe is projected to rely more and more on materials that have a high risk of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, writes Linde Zuidema.

ICAO’s carbon offset plan for aviation is a threat to Paris Agreement

Forests have long been seen as a potential source of cheap and attractive offsets to compensate for the airline industry’s growing climate impact. However, there is one flaw. They don’t work, even by the ICAO’s own standards, writes Hannah Mowat.

Forestry emissions and the EU’s risky LULUCF debate

Proposed changes in the way the EU accounts for land use and land use change (LULUCF) emissions are scientifically flawed and could lead to dangerous global warming, writes Hannah Mowat.