COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 deforestation pledge as a rebranding of failed initiatives like REDD+, asserting that it facilitates corporate greenwashing through carbon credits and offsets. The statement highlights the hypocrisy of signatory nations, citing the EU-Mercosur agreement's impact on the Amazon and the lack of binding regulations to protect Indigenous Peoples' rights and stop industrial agriculture and extractive industries.

• The COP26 pledge to halt deforestation is characterized as being full of loopholes that enable corporations and high-polluting countries to continue fossil fuel emissions by using forest investments as a cover for climate action.
• The finance mechanisms of the pledge are compared to REDD+ initiatives, which the author claims failed to mitigate climate change and instead led to global land grabbing and violations of land rights over the past decade.
• The UK Government has allocated 200 Million GBP to the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition, which allows companies such as Amazon, Delta Airlines, Bayer, Unilever, and Black Rock to use carbon credits for avoided deforestation to offset their emissions.
• The document identifies a contradiction where signatory countries drive deforestation through trade deals, specifically citing the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement's projected 50% increase in beef imports to the EU as a driver of Amazon deforestation.
• The author asserts that the pledge is unenforceable and will fail if it relies on private finance and carbon markets instead of regulatory action and the implementation of human rights instruments like UNDRIP and UNDROP.

APA

FOEIAdmin (2021). COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/cop26-pledge-to-end-deforestation/

Chicago

FOEIAdmin. COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/cop26-pledge-to-end-deforestation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=FOEIAdmin |title=COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=3 November 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/cop26-pledge-to-end-deforestation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{foeiadmin2021cop26, author = {FOEIAdmin}, title = {{COP26 pledge to end deforestation no more than a rebranding of previous flawed attempts to greenwash increased carbon emissions}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/cop26-pledge-to-end-deforestation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }