In a letter sent Nov. 17 and obtained this week by BBCCanada’s ambassador to the European Union expressed her “concerns” about future regulations on deforestation (Deforestation Regulation), is currently being adopted in various European Union countries (She was adopted to the European Parliament in September). Ambassador Eilish Campbell is concerned about the export barriers this could create for Canadian producers and recommends in particular clarifying the definition of forest “degradation”.
Remember this when we talk about the difficulty of getting along (See our first text), we are talking about consensus on specific goals (for example, imposing a quota on felling trees) and not on general principles. Currently, the draft agreement that is supposed to conclude COP15 does not lack consensus on general principles: the importance of protecting biodiversity. Based on specific numbers, percentages, and targets, some countries get in the way, depending on the strengths of their economies.
While “deforestation” refers to permanent loss, “degradation” is a broader concept intended to protect against continuing losses before it is too late. There is no agreed upon definition of what constitutes “degradation”. The new legislation would require European companies at most to guarantee that goods imported into Europe are produced “without deforestation” (Deforestation free products). In theory, Canada would pass the test with an annual deforestation rate of just 0.02%, according to Ms. Campbell’s letter. But depending on what is included under the “deterioration” label, the situation can change.
Environmental groups, which have hailed the new legislation as it could raise global standards for forest protection, It was a strong response On the message of the Canadian ambassador. “It is disgraceful that Canada is undermining the most important forest legislation we have seen in the past decade,” says the British daily. Watchman Director of the American environmental group Mighty Earth.
So the question will likely be on the table during COP15, especially given the mixed reputation Canada has built up in recent years as an environmental advocate and producer of fossil fuels.
