deforestation – The Green Tau

Counting on 2026 … day 8

16th January

Reversing land system change needs to include both reforestation and the adoption of regenerative farming methods – ie methods that restore the fertility of the soil, restores fresh water cycles, protects the environment from pollutants such as pesticides, fertilisers, slurry etc, that promotes increasing biodiversity and produces healthy food. Somehow nations need to find ways of valuing the role that trees and good agricultural practice play in maintaining the wellbeing of the earth systems on which we rely.

This might be by levying a rate or tax to cover the cost similar to the water rate we used to pay for clean water – and which could be used to pay for planting trees and/or for setting aside land for woodlands. In the UK farmers can be paid by the Government (and thus ultimately paid for by the tax payer) to protect and enhance the natural environment – eg through the Sustainable Farming Incentive – https://www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/category/funding-support

In a similar vein, consumers can actively chose to support environmentally friendly farming by paying a premium for the products thus produced – eg organic fruit and vegetables, grass fed meat, wild flower honey.

It might be by levying a fee on those whose businesses pollute the environment – eg levied against beef and dairy products, or against industrial chicken farms. Denmark – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20nq8qgep3o

Governments and other institutions- like health bodies, schools etc – might promote a switch to largely plant based diets (as per the Planetary Health Diet). Denmark is developing a concerted switch to a largely plant based diet with support for farmers as well as encouragement for consumers. https://rethinkpriorities.org/research-area/plant-based-diet-shift-initiative-case-studies-denmarks-plant-based-food-grant/

Governments and farming bodies can encourage a switch to crops better suited to the changing climate in their region – eg switchIng from olives and almonds to pistachios in the dryer Spanish climate, introducing agroforestry, replacing cotton with hemp (as is happening in Turkey – https://egedeniztextile.com/turkish-hemp/) etc. https://inspain.news/spains-green-gold-rush-and-why-pistachios-are-the-future-of-farming/

Governments could mandate that public purchasing should favour sustainably produced products – both food and timber based products. This report urges the use of timber in the construction industry: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025/timber-in-construction-roadmap-2025

Conversely governments can implement legislation to limit or end land use and farming practices that damage planetary boundaries. The UK and the European Union have both introduced legislation that requires companies to ensure through the length of the supply chains that not products are derived from sources where deforestation is involved: https://www.clydeco.com/en/insights/2025/02/spotlight-on-deforestation-regulations-in-uk-eu

NB both sets of policies have yet to be fully implemented.

Counting on … 193

24th November 2025

As an addendum to last weeks blogs about rainforest deforestation, a timely update about COP30 from Greenpeace.

Legislation exists in Europe and the UK which aims to reduce deforestation. The EU passed the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in June 2023, which requires companies to check and be able to confirm that their products (whether using raw materials such as beef, cocoa, palm oil, rubber etc or derivatives) do not contribute to deforestation. There has been resistance and its implementation has been delayed till December 2025 (and till June 2026 for small companies). UK companies that trade with the EU will perforce have to work within these same regulations. (1)

The UK has enacted the Environment Act 2021, which aims, amongst other things, to tackle deforestation in UK supply chains as set out in Schedule 17. However this is a much narrower piece of legislation in terms of both the protection it offers and in terms of the companies that will be required to take action. (1)

One area of concern is the welfare of small farmers in the poorer parts of the world where their farming practice still rely on deforestation. Small farmers may have insufficient capital resources to adopt climate and nature friendly practice and therefore may simply go out of business and have to resort to subsistence farming – or will resort to deception and continue to cut down trees. (2) Ideally funding to facilitate a fair transition should be forthcoming from our wealthier nations and business organisations.

Counting on … 192

21st November 2025

Deforestation of tropical rainforests also takes place to make space for oil-palm plantations. Palm oil is widely used in products as diverse as hair shampoo and chocolate. Clearing the forest to replace it with a monoculture not only impacts climate change but also biodiversity and a loss of the traditional ways of life of the indigenous inhabitants.

“West Papuan Indigenous people call for KitKat boycott over alleged ecocide” Thousands of acres of rainforest is being cleared to produce palm oil, used in popular Nestlé and Mondelēz brands. West Papua’s Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory. All are products that contain palm oil and are made, say the campaigners, by companies that source the ingredient directly from West Papua, which has been under Indonesian control since 1963 and where thousands of acres of rainforest are being cleared for agriculture.”(1)

This year’s COP has seen a more visible presence of indigenous people and hopefully their particular insights are being listened to and their particular needs incorporated in the decision making processes.

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/west-papua-indigene-bevölkerung-ruft-zum-boykott-von-nestlé-und-mondelēz-produkten-auf-inkl-unternehmenskommentar/

Counting on … Lent 22

3rd April 2025

For God draws up the drops of water; distilling rain from the mist, which the skies pour down and drop upon mortals abundantly. Job 36:27-28

Humanity is dependant on rain for the successful growth of crops, yet humans also wilfully destroy the habitats that are essential for the maintenance of the water cycle. Deforestation in particular, rather than creating fertile land for growing crops, creates deserts. Maintaining tree cover is critical to maintaining good levels of rain.

“…forests are a crucial component of the water cycle and have the all important function of preventing desertification. Cutting down trees can disrupt the cycle by decreasing precipitation and affecting river flow and water volume. In the case of the Amazon rainforest, research shows that at least 80% of its trees would be needed in order to keep the hydrological cycle going. With nearly 17% of the forest lost already, the Amazon is currently at its tipping point. Statistics show that deforestation in the tropics reduces precipitation over the Amazon by around 10%, or 138 millimeter, every year. In the South Asian Monsoon region, the reduction in rainfall is even higher, with around 18% less rain recorded in India in a single year.”

How Does Deforestation Affect the Environment?

Counting on … day 79

4th April 2024

Bioenergy can also be obtained from trees – the timber is burnt to either as direct form of heat from a stove of fire, or in a power station to drive steam turbines that generate electricity. Burning timber is the most common form of bioenergy used in the UK. Whilst it can be claimed that only waste timber is used – cuts and shavings from timber plants – the reality is that power stations such as Drax import timber which already starts to add to its carbon footprint. International rules imported timber is zero carbon as the emissions are counted in the country where the trees are harvested. In fact these emissions are often not recorded at all. And whilst the timber arrives here as preformed pellets, the timber intact comes from whole trees from mono culture plantations or from virgin forests.

In reality burning timber as a bioenergy is not a zero carbon option. The carbon stored in the timber is going to be released at some point in the future but if that tree is left to grow, and in its own good time, die, that carbon is locked in longer. Even better as the tree decays in its natural environment it will take years to decay during which time it will provide a habitat for a great variety of different plants and creatures. Further a large part of the carbon will be absorbed into the soil, again storing it away. If on the other hand the tree, having been felled, is used to make doors, floor boards, paper, furniture etc so the carbon is locked away for many more years to come.

For further reading – https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-we-do/influence-government-and-business/nature-protection-and-restoration/bioenergy

Is burning wood for energy worse for the climate than coal?

Biomass Basics

Carbon capture and storage CCS for the ongoing burning of fossil fuels to generate energy – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/26/tone-deaf-fossil-gas-growth-in-europe-is-speeding-climate-crisis-say-activists?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 1.219

20th November 2023

The authors of the State of Climate Action 2023 report advise that world needs to:

Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.
Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks’ worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.
Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.
Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.
Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030.” (1)

We may feel we have little control over deforestation, especially that which happens outside the UK, but indirectly we do. Many of the products we consume every day come directly or indirectly from forested land that has been cleared to allow for commercial production of sugar, palm oil and soya beans.

Palm oil is an interesting crop as it finds itself in many products ranging from toothpaste to margarine, laundry liquid to biscuits. When listed as an ingredient, it may appear as palm but can as easily appear as palm- , stear- , laur- , or glyc-. Reducing our consumption of palm oil, or seeking products made from sustainably produced palm oil, does take some research – Ethical Consumer has a useful guide – https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/palm-oil/palm-oil-free-list

Processed soya beans may feed directly into our shopping basket as tofu, tempeh or as soya milk (and other similar dairy replacements). This accounts for a very small portion of global soya production – less than 6%. Most of the global output of soya beans (77%) is used as animal feed. By eating less meat and dairy produce we can reduce the demand for soya beans and hence deforestation!

For more information on palm oil and how to avoid its damaging production – https://greentau.org/2021/12/15/green-tau-issue-27/

For more information on the dangers of sugar plantations – https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/sugar-a-killer-crop.html, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/18/a-shame-for-the-world-ugandas-fragile-forest-ecosystem-destroyed-for-sugar?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other,

For more information on soya beans and deforestation- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/06/top-grain-traders-helped-scupper-ban-on-soya-from-deforested-land?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other , https://ourworldindata.org/soy

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/14/world-behind-on-almost-every-policy-required-to-cut-carbon-emissions-research-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other