Climate & Company’s Post

Great to see a global coalition of over 170 civil society organisations has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling on her to "stand firm" on the implementation of the landmark European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR.) The #Together4Forests letter, signed by Mighty Earth, follows a recent attempt by the Agriculture Ministries of 20 EU member states, led by Austria, to delay & weaken the democratically & carefully constructed EUDR, designed to ensure products linked to global deforestation & forest degradation– such as beef, soy, rubber, coffee, wood, palm oil & cocoa - cannot be sold in the EU. The call comes as a recent report by the World Resources Institute reveals tropical primary forest loss totaled 3.7 million hectares in 2023, the equivalent of losing almost 10 football fields of forest per minute. Some 1.6 billion people, including nearly 70 million Indigenous people, rely on standing forests for their survival. Alex Wijeratna, Senior Director at Mighty Earth, said: “Over 170 campaign groups from across the globe are urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stand firm and publicly rebuff efforts to sabotage Europe’s groundbreaking zero-deforestation law.” “We’re code red for the climate and nature crisis but the rampant destruction of tropical forests continues apace, threatening Indigenous people, wildlife and biodiversity. The EU’s consumption of commodities like beef, soy and cocoa is driving this destruction. Any delay to the EUDR would put global climate and nature goals out of reach and further imperil communities on the frontline of deforestation.” Read the CSO open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen here: https://lnkd.in/dhMesBkK See the WRI Global Forest Watch deforestation data for 2023 here: https://bit.ly/4axG3c0

European policies are in the hands of the agricultural and food industry. Evidently they are able to bring in the votes that European and national politicians need to keep their jobs. The Green Deal is turning from a revolutionary plan into an issue to be swept under the carpet even though citizens want it and the environment needs it. But considering the global perspective, abandoning this plan also means betraying UN commitments on the protection of biodiversity. We pride ourselves as Europeans on being leaders in promoting green policies but when it comes to action, we hide behind a few tractors. https://lnkd.in/dYFijv5N

This is what happens when we let far-right nationalists run our countries. In Sweden this has been very obvious. Very determined the government has scaled back on every former policies to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our nature and biodiversity. It is very saddening to watch and gives us, and we are many, a sense of loss of hope for the future for our children and grandchildren. And it also affects economic developement and prosperity as loss of hope for the future puts a wet blanket over business activity. "When diplomats struck a deal to save nature in 2022, pledging to halt biodiversity loss by the end of the decade, Europe was seen as a credible leader in fraught negotiations. The EU cajoled others into stepping up their game as it championed a target to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030. But two years later, as delegates meet in wildlife-rich Colombia for Cop16 – the international summit to save nature – Europe’s own enthusiasm for saving species appears to be endangered. EU leaders scaled back plans to cut pollution and protect habitats after angry protests from farmers at the start of the year. A law to restore nature was turned into a political punching bag, barely securing majorities in key votes to rubber-stamp the deal, and a regulation to reduce deforestation will be delayed by a year, the commission announced last week. The backsliding has alarmed conservationists and scientists, who fear that biodiversity loss is being pushed to the sidelines on the eve of the world’s most significant nature negotiations."

📢 Important new report out! See how much EU money are directed to harming nature. 🌳 🔥 In 2022, direct subsidies allocated by Member States to biomass as an energy source amounted to €15 billion. Many sources of bioenergy can be harmful to climate and nature. See more on WWF position on EU bioenergy policies here: https://lnkd.in/dG6iAMRE Ahead of the EU elections in June, we should ask ourselves: can our money do better ⁉

Same situation in Canada: billions of dollars of public dollars spent subsidizing big forestry, fishing, mining and agriculture companies that cause harm to both climate and biodiversity. We need to see faster progress on Canada's COP15 commitment to identify harmful subsidies by 2025, and phased them out by 2030.

❗ A new WWF report shows that, every year, EU Member States are channelling an astonishing €34-48 billion into activities that harm nature 😲 Shockingly, up to 60% of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding —that’s more than €32 billion— is detrimental to nature while failing to support the farmers 🚜💔 The misallocation of taxpayers’ money spans other major sectors: 🐠 Fisheries: between €59 - €138 million 🚛 Transport infrastructures: between €1.7 billion - €14.1 billion 💧 Water infrastructures: between €1.3 billion - €2 billion Redirecting these harmful subsidies is not only urgent but also entirely feasible. Doing so could help bridge the €18 billion annual financing gap required to meet the EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy targets 🐝 It's time for a major policy shift! Let’s prioritise nature for a sustainable transition that leaves no-one behind 💚 🔗 Read the report on https://bit.ly/3UDQLa1 #votefutureEU

HARMFULL EU SUBSIDIES 💶 A must read - no wonder nature in Europe is declining so rapidly. And as EU citizens, we are all contributing to these harmful subsidies - through our tax payments. It is so important to make sure people are aware of this, and that nature provides our life systems - water, soil, air, food, protection, biodiversity. We need to change the way we treat nature, and restore at a large scale. Harmful subsidies need to stop! 🔗 Read the report on https://bit.ly/3UDQLa1 #RestoreNature #GenerationRestoration #rewilding

Not surprising since #European #colonialism since 1500 and #industrialism since the 1800s have supported corporate expansionism since the East India Company, devastating #ecosystems, #biodiversity and #indigenous peoples. Reversing 520+ years of history will take time, which the world does not have. How quickly can the worst damages be stopped while transitioning to a new #nature- and #bio-based #greener economy? European has the talent; does it have the political will?

https://lnkd.in/d5mH3CkE The proposed measure was a key plank in the commission’s European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork strategy, intended to make the EU carbon-neutral by 2050, make agriculture more environmentally friendly and preserve biodiversity.

Great and important work by Trinomics team, supporting the most recent publication of WWF on mapping EU harmful-subsidies. Key take-aways: 🌍 EU Subsidies Impact: Member States are channeling €34 billion to €48 billion of EU subsidies annually into activities detrimental to biodiversity. 🚜 Sector Spanning: Biodiversity harmful subsidies are prevalent across major economic sectors, notably agriculture, forestry, fisheries, transport, and water infrastructure. 🌾 CAP Influence: Most harmful subsidies stem from the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), due to the significant EU funds allocated to agricultural production. 💰Financing Gap and 🔄 Repurposing Subsidies: To achieve the EU’s biodiversity goals by 2030, an annual investment of €48 billion is still needed. Repurposing can support bridging the financing gap! Repurposing EU subsidies from harmful activities to nature-positive activities is not only feasible, but also necessary if we want to close the financing gap and achieve our biodiversity and nature goals, ultimately supporting ambitions to remain below 1.5 ! Well done Petra Remeta, Līza L. and Oana Forestier! #naturepositive #climatenaturenexus