OPEN LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS: The world is counting on you to help end global deforestation

The letter calls for the final adoption of a proposed EU law to break the link between food production and deforestation, emphasizing that forests are critical for climate change mitigation and biodiversity. It highlights that a small number of commodities—including cattle, cocoa, coffee, maize, palm oil, soy, rubber, and wood—drive the majority of forest destruction. The authors argue that mandatory rules for product origin and production checks are necessary to ensure corporate accountability and prevent human rights abuses against Indigenous Peoples.

• The authors argue that a bold new EU law is necessary to prevent irreversible climate change and protect biodiversity by breaking the connection between food production and the destruction of forests.
• Global forest destruction is primarily driven by the mass production of eight specific commodities: cattle, cocoa, coffee, maize, palm oil, soy, rubber, and wood.
• The letter asserts that current lack of regulation allows companies to avoid accountability for environmental damage because there are no rules requiring them to verify the origin or production methods of their products.
• The document emphasizes that Indigenous Peoples are the most effective protectors of forests and that their rights are frequently violated to make way for monoculture plantations and cattle ranches.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). OPEN LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS: The world is counting on you to help end global deforestation. https://www.clientearth.org/media/q5an5tzb/open-letter-to-eu-leaders-calling-for-strong-deforestation-law-5-dec-22.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. OPEN LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS: The world is counting on you to help end global deforestation. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/q5an5tzb/open-letter-to-eu-leaders-calling-for-strong-deforestation-law-5-dec-22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=OPEN LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS: The world is counting on you to help end global deforestation |date=5 December 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/q5an5tzb/open-letter-to-eu-leaders-calling-for-strong-deforestation-law-5-dec-22.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2022open, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{OPEN LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS: The world is counting on you to help end global deforestation}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/q5an5tzb/open-letter-to-eu-leaders-calling-for-strong-deforestation-law-5-dec-22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }