Norway Is The First Country In The World To Ban Deforestation
Norway has become the first country to ban deforestation. The Norwegian Parliament pledged May 26 that the government’s public procurement policy will be deforestation-free.
The Norwegian government made a pledge with Germany and the UK back in 2014, at the UN Climate Summit in New York, that they would “promote national commitments that encourage deforestation-free supply chains, including through public procurement policies to sustainably source commodities such as palm oil, soy, beef and timber.”
Beef, palm oil, soy and wood products in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papau New Guinea were responsible for 40 percent of deforestation between 2000 and 2011. Those seven countries were also responsible for 44 percent of carbon emissions.
So far, Norway is the only country to do something towards this pledge that’s drastic enough to make a difference. They have become the first country in the world to ban deforestation. The Norwegian Parliament pledged that the government’s public procurement policy will be deforestation-free. By becoming the first country in the world to make such a large-scale move against deforestation, Norway is setting an example for other countries to consider similar policies.
The zero deforestation commitment was put forward by the Standing Committee on Energy and Environment as part of the Norwegian government’s Action Plan on Nature Diversity. This commitment precludes deforestation in public procurements.
In addition to the deforestation language in the Action Plan on Natural Diversity, there are also recommendations to incorporate biodiversity as a factor in determining investments for Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GFPG).
Norway is not, however, new to putting large sums of money to stop deforestation in Brazil, Liberia and Indonesia.
