The level of consumption of the Portuguese could lead to the destruction of 2,700 hectares of forest annually in various regions of the world, to produce products for export to Portugal, according to a study published on Wednesday.
The study, according to a statement by four associations made public on Wednesday, indicates that imports from European Union (EU) countries continue to drive deforestation and forest degradation in several parts of the world.
The associations cite the European Commission, which says that imports for consumption in the EU contribute to “around 10% of global deforestation, estimated at more than two billion hectares per year.”
At this rate, the associations add, “it could contribute to the destruction of around 248 thousand hectares of forests per year, by 2030“.
The associations point out that more than 90% of global deforestation is caused by agricultural expansion to produce products such as livestock, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soybeans, corn and wood.
Between 2015 and 2020, according to a study by Trase, an organization created in 2015 that seeks to make the trade of agricultural products more transparent, Every year, a forest area larger than Portugal is lost.
Trase estimates that the risk of deforestation associated with imports and exports of agricultural products is around 190,500 hectares per year (average for the period 2019-2021), “which corresponds to 19% of tropical deforestation incorporated in imports of the main agricultural products.”
According to the associations’ accounts, in Portugal the risk of deforestation associated with consumption exceeds 2,700 hectares per year, the majority associated with imports originating in Brazil (35%).
Imports from Portugal could contribute to the deforestation of 950 hectares per year in Brazil, says the study, which identifies coffee as the main product at risk, which accounted for 23.8% of all deforestation associated with imports into the country in the period 2019-2021, especially in Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Vietnam.
“Each Portuguese could contribute, annually, to more than 60 hectares of deforestation through coffee consumption, Portugal is among the five countries with the highest per capita exposure,” says the document published on Wednesday.
The associations recall that the European Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR), to prevent products linked to deforestation from entering and leaving the EU market, came into force in 2023 and next year the rules will be tightened and supply chains will be more transparent.
The four associations note that some countries and members of the European Parliament have expressed reservations about the implementation of the regulation and warn that delaying the implementation of the EUDR poses “significant risks”, including continued environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and increased greenhouse gas emissions. . cooking. Postponing it, they say, could create market uncertainty and weaken the fight against deforestation.
“Supporting the immediate implementation of the EUDR is crucial “in order to protect vulnerable ecosystems, promote sustainable business practices and strengthen the global supply chain,” the associations say. The document is signed by the environmental associations Zero and ANP/WWF, the consumer protection association DECO and TROCA (Platform for International Fair Trade).
Source: Observadora
