Our forests need a global rescue operation, and it must start now

The author asserts that emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use account for one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, comparable to emissions from fossil fuels used for electricity and heat. Using examples like the 2015 Indonesian forest fires and recent droughts in Switzerland, the text highlights the urgent need for transformative change over incremental shifts. The author identifies key drivers for this change, including zero-deforestation commitments from consumer goods companies, government policies such as the Marrakesh Declaration in West Africa and peatland moratoriums in Indonesia, and investor pressure from those managing $22 trillion in assets. The document concludes that realizing these goals requires a multi-stakeholder partnership involving governments, industry, financial markets, and indigenous peoples, as facilitated by the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020.

• Emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use represent approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a volume similar to that produced by burning coal, natural gas, and oil for heat and electricity.
• The 2015 forest fires in Indonesia, driven by unsustainable land use like slash-and-burn clearing and a strong El Niño, generated more daily CO2 emissions than the entire economy of the United States.
• Corporate and governmental commitments are driving a zero-deforestation movement, exemplified by the Marrakesh Declaration where seven West African countries—representing 13% of global tropical forests—committed to protecting 70% of their forests and developing deforestation-free palm oil.
• Financial markets are increasingly factoring in deforestation risks, with over 365 investors managing $22 trillion in assets requesting deforestation risk disclosures, putting over $900 billion in annual turnover of public companies at risk.
• The Indonesian government has implemented a significant moratorium on palm oil development on peatlands, which includes existing concessions.

APA

Reber, F. (2017). Our forests need a global rescue operation, and it must start now. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/our-forests-need-a-global-rescue-operation-and-we-must-start-now/

Chicago

Reber, Florian. Our forests need a global rescue operation, and it must start now. World Economic Forum, 2017. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/our-forests-need-a-global-rescue-operation-and-we-must-start-now/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Reber |first1=Florian |title=Our forests need a global rescue operation, and it must start now |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=17 January 2017 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/our-forests-need-a-global-rescue-operation-and-we-must-start-now/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{reber2017our, author = {Reber, Florian}, title = {{Our forests need a global rescue operation, and it must start now}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/our-forests-need-a-global-rescue-operation-and-we-must-start-now/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }