Saturday, October 11, 2014

New York Declaration on Forests released at UN Climate Summit

New York Declaration on Forests was released at the UN Climate Summit in New York, US on 23 September 2014. The Declaration called all the Governments, multinational companies and campaigners to take pledge to eliminate deforestation by 2030.

The New York Declaration on Forests calls for the restoration of more than 350 million hectares of forests and croplands. New York Declaration on Forests is a non-legally binding political agreement.

The New York Declaration aims to reduce more climate pollution each year than the United States emits annually.

Pledge of other stakeholders 

In support of the Declaration, 20 global food companies announced their pledges to deforestation-free sourcing policies of palm oil.
The world’s largest palm oil companies – Wilmar, Golden Agri-Resources and Cargill – also committed to work together to implement and join the Indonesian Business Council in asking incoming Indonesian President Joko Widodo to support their efforts through legislation and policies.

Taken together, the share of palm oil under zero deforestation commitments has grown from 0 to about 60 per cent in 2013, with the potential to reduce up to 450 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2020. That is the equivalent of 2 billion tonnes in the period through 2020.

Among other announcements, 26 governors from Peru and Liberia presented new forest policies and pledged to cut deforestation by 80 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Guatemala, Uganda and several other countries are set to make national pledges to restore more than 30 million hectares of degraded lands.

Also, the Consumer Goods Forum, a coalition of 400 companies, called on Governments to pass a legally binding climate deal in Paris in 2015 that includes REDD+, including large-scale payments to countries that reduces deforestation.
More than 120 Heads of States and Government, business, finance and civil society representatives announced commitments to reduce emissions enhance resistance to climate change and mobilize financing for climate action.

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