Berlin-. A United Nations study today indicated that deforestation rates continue to rise in various parts of the world, despite global commitments to stop the phenomenon by 2030.
The United Nations Environment Program said at a conference in the German city of Bonn that only eight of the 20 countries with the highest rate of tropical deforestation were able to set measurable targets in their climate action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
UNEP highlighted that there is a significant gap in forest protection, management and restoration in the current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline plans for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
According to the investigation, current promises in the Nationally Determined Contributions made between 2017 and 2021 do not meet the global ambition to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.
Although 11 of the NDCs contain quantitative targets related to afforestation and reforestation, in order to mitigate climate change, it is first necessary to reduce deforestation, experts say.
The document recommends that it is also important that NDCs integrate existing national strategies to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The source pointed out that forests play an essential role in achieving the Paris Agreement on climate change, as they can contribute to a third of the emission reductions needed to close the mitigation gap by 2030.
According to UNEP, it is essential that we have the ambition to end deforestation, given the critical role forests play in regulating hydrological cycles, moderating extreme temperatures, preventing extreme weather events, and protecting biodiversity and human health.
However, the report released today indicates that global deforestation rates are continuing to rise, despite a recent decline in Brazil.
“After world leaders’ 2020 target of halving forest loss failed, we must ensure that the 2030 target does not suffer the same fate,” said Dechen Tsering, a UNEP official.
The specialist believes that it is necessary to improve support for indigenous peoples and local communities, “the forest guardians on the front lines.”
The UN agency acknowledged that increasing the ambition of NDCs must be accompanied by strong and immediate measures, and that “taking these steps will require broader, predictable financial support for forest-rich countries.”
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