Europe’s rubber demand poses big threat to African forests, NGO says

European-funded industrial rubber plantations are contributing to mass deforestation in West and Central Africa, however rubber stays absent from the European Union’s plans to sort out deforestation, in keeping with new analysis from the NGO International Witness.

“Europe is certainly complicit in all of this. It isn’t simply the businesses and the European tyre producers but in addition the European banks who’re supporting the manufacturing of rubber,” Giulia Bondi, International Witness’ senior forests campaigner, instructed Euronews.

The EU has claimed it’s main the drive to sort out deforestation, with world leaders agreeing to finish deforestation by 2030 on the current UN local weather convention in Glasgow.

However International Witness says that rubber plantations are literally increasing, forcing locals from indigenous communities off their land and into poverty.

“Profitable tire trade lobbying has pushed the Fee to get rubber out of the record,” Bondi mentioned.

The European Tyre and Rubber Producers Affiliation mentioned in a press release despatched to Euronews that they’re dedicated to “supporting initiatives aimed toward halting deforestation.”

“Our trade, along with different key stakeholders, has been lively on devising options for sustainable provide chain of pure rubber and can proceed to take action.”

They added that the trade has been “focused on tackling deforestation by making a distinction on the bottom, participating with native communities and smallholder.”

Negotiations are underway on the EU’s deforestation plan and a vote is predicted within the Autumn.

Inexperienced MEPs say the Fee declare they wish to take a science-based strategy however then make politically motivated choices.

“It isn’t about negotiating which trade needs to be disregarded of a regulation. It’s about us Europeans taking on accountability for our international deforestation footprint so I believe it can be crucial that research like these from International Witness present us that now we have a contribution in numerous areas of the world,” mentioned German Inexperienced MEP Delara Burkhardt.

With a lot at stake for trade, discovering compromises gained’t come straightforward, regardless of the local weather emergency so Europe’s inexperienced ambitions may take for much longer than anticipated.

Watch our video report within the participant above.