FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
BRUSSELS: Europe forged its plan to curb global deforestation three years ago when more than 100 world leaders pledged at the COP26 climate conference to reverse the destruction of millions of hectares of woodland every year.
There was an aggressive timetable, but as with many of the European Union’s (EU) green plans, it proved too much for some, and the bloc on Oct 2 caved to calls from countries including Brazil and the United States to slow down.
The decision to delay deforestation targets symbolises the bloc’s overreach when it comes to persuading the world to follow in its green footsteps.
It’s the result of ambitious environmental aims clashing with hard reality. Businesses said they needed time and money to get ready for the huge change the EU envisages, as did emerging economies.
Over US$110bil of trade was set to be affected by the EU Deforestation Regulation, which aimed to end the chopping down of forests as a result of the region’s insatiable thirst for commodities such as coffee, cocoa, soy and beef.
The 12-month shift in the timetable, pushing the start out to the end of 2025, follows months of intense pressure from global trade partners, commodity suppliers and even EU member states who had signed up less than two years ago.
But a lot has changed since then, and Europe’s green deal has become more politically and economically challenging.
Alongside deforestation rules, the EU is also in the process of slapping a carbon border levy on carbon intensive products like steel and cement from countries with less strict climate rules, and wants production of packaging outside its borders to conform to the same rules as within it.
“The world, in reality, probably needs three-to-five years if governments begin to address this seriously,” said Jason Clay, executive director of the WWF’s Markets Institute.
“The EU has made its shot across the bow and gotten the world’s attention, but now it needs to give some time to others to make this work.”
Environmental groups are sceptical. They say the delay is a blow to the EU’s credibility and worry that it sets a dangerous precedent for other climate measures.
The delay “is a frontal attack on the green deal,” said Anna Cavazzini, a European Parliament lawmaker in the Green group.
“We must now ensure that the postponement does not open Pandora’s box and that the law is not weakened.” — Bloomberg
