Fern NGO

#Offsetting is not an Olympic sport.   The organising committee of the Paris Olympics claims to be offsetting #emissions through tree plantation projects in France and abroad.   mediapart.fr calls this out as #greenwashing: ➡️ Offsetting is a dangerous distraction from reducing emissions. The Paris Olympics cannot offset their way out of the Paris Agreement. ➡️ The four plantations projects do not protect forests nor increase their resilience. Two of the projects plant coniferous trees outside of their natural range, an industrial practice which is known to result in widespread mortality. Another overlooks soil compaction and ensuing threats to tree growth. The fourth would have gone ahead regardless of income from selling carbon credits, in clear contempt of additionally.    The article concludes that focus should be on ”protecting old growth forests, [which is] much more efficient than tree plantations for carbon storage”. #Forest protection and restoration should be key priorities of the #EU. In contrast, the use of carbon credits certified by the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (#CRCF) should be limited.   Journalist Mickaël Correia interviewed scientists and Fern campaigner Sydney Vennin to uncover this. Read more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eK-Hzh88 Send us a message if you cannot access the full article.

Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire - the world's largest #cocoa producers - are moving forward with implementing #traceability systems in compliance with the #EU deforestation regulation.    Over 100 Ghanaian and Ivorian civil society organisations have reiterated their support for the #EUDR and its timely implementation in a recent letter to European Union policymakers.    "Many farmers see [the EUDR] as an opportunity to sell their cocoa at a guaranteed price. As such, it can help lift them out of the poverty that blights many of their lives. In the debate over the pushback against the law, the voices of those who support it should not be lost," comments signatory Bakary Traoré of the Initiatives for Community Development and Forest Conservation (IDEF).    The Regulation is facing pushback from European ministers and trade organisations. "Amid fears – often stated by companies who themselves have the biggest power to fix the problem – that EUDR compliance costs will be passed on to smallholders, it is interesting to see that, in the reality of a specific sector and country, systems are being designed to put compliance costs on the shoulders of companies," points out Fern's campaigner Julia Christian.    Read more in The Grocer via the link below 👇

What an interesting Annual Report from Fern NGO - gives a great sense not just of the organisation’s team, its human side and its work, but also packed full of quick links to informative reports and briefs on forests.

🌲 Our Annual Report is out!    In 2023, the increasingly volatile political landscape in Europe resulted in a growing backlash against policies to fight the #ClimateCrisis and protect the environment. Every forest-related file working its way through #EU lawmaking bodies faced fierce opposition by industry interests and Member States.     But we and our partners continued to push back and show that protecting #forests and the rights of those who live in them is vital to all our futures.     Read more 👇  https://lnkd.in/e4gNbQp5     Subscribe to our #ForestWatch monthly newsletter:  https://lnkd.in/d5ryPiKb 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: it’s time to defend the #EU deforestation regulation by ensuring timely & full implementation. Forest destruction is increasing across the world, fuelling the climate crisis and collapsing ecosystems. The #EUDR a key part of efforts to halt #deforestation and tackle the #ClimateCrisis. It is already improving forest monitoring & forest law enforcement in key producer countries. Delaying the Regulation would be a disaster for global forests and for the EU’s reputation. Environmental policy must not be determined by self-interest. Global forest protection is the key to a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for the next generations. President von der Leyen, it’s time to fully implement the EUDR! #DefendEUDR

Fern is looking for a Communications Intern to help initiate, develop and disseminate its content! The role includes supporting the production and distribution of publications and videos, managing Fern’s website and social media pages, producing compelling visuals, and assisting with webinar and event logistics. The role is a six-month, paid internship and is based in Brussels. Click here to learn more and apply 👇 https://lnkd.in/epehda8A Please share and help us spread the word!

🤔 What are the problems with Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (#BECCS)? BECCS is increasingly being promoted as a #ClimateChange mitigation strategy, with governments developing funding and business frameworks to incentivize such projects. It is often classified as a 'carbon removal technology,' because of the false assumption that #biomass energy is carbon neutral and that capturing and storing CO2 from burning biomass makes it 'carbon negative.' But biomass energy removes carbon from forests, not the atmosphere! 🚨 BECCS has significant social, environmental, and economic costs and is promoted by #FossilFuel interests. It is a #FalseSolution distracting from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels and protect ecosystems! Read Biofuelwatch and Fern NGO’s briefings to learn more 👇 https://lnkd.in/dy9jvxTV #cdr #RealZero

Despite years and years of talking, voluntary commitments and projects by companies, #cocoa farmers are still earning extreme poverty wages: most earn as little as $2 a day, less than the price of many chocolate bars. All this while chocolate companies have been making billions of profits. It’s not rocket science: farmers will continue to be poor so long as they are poorly paid. And it’s wrong for companies to be making vast profits when the people producing their goods are living in deplorable conditions. #Chocolate and cocoa companies need to: 👉 pay a price that enables a living income 👉 establish fair, long-term contracts with farmers 👉 publicly report their progress Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ezg9QGnV

🆕 The latest issue of our #ForestWatch newsletter is out!    👉 The Nature Restoration Law has finally been approved by EU environment ministers. (✍ by Siim Kuresoo)    The passing of the first comprehensive, continent-wide regulation of its kind is a defining moment in the fight to increase biodiversity and rehabilitate the continent’s damaged natural habitats. Forests, foresters, biodiversity and the climate are set to benefit.    👉 The Netherlands’ first transposition of the #RenewableEnergyDirective, adopted by the departing government, includes a ban on all biomass subsidies for electricity and restrictions on Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (#BECCS). (✍ by Martin Pigeon)    The Netherlands’ latest restrictions ensure their place as the frontrunner in ambitious science-informed #bioenergy policy. Other EU Member States would be well advised to follow the country’s lead.    👉 A new study has confirmed that tree harvesting is the main driver of European forest disturbances. (✍ by Sydney Vennin)    The EU needs to base its EU forest policies on scientific studies. This means removing subsidies from policies such as the Renewable Energy Directive which increase demand for wood and redirecting them to policies like the #NatureRestorationLaw.    👉 A consortium of Indonesian NGOs has urged the Commission to assess the risks of delaying action on the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (#EUDR) – stating that more than #forests is at stake. (✍ by Perrine Fournier)    With palm oil production in Indonesia still leading to the loss of huge swathes of Indonesian forests, the EU needs to listen to watchdogs in producer countries and increase efforts to implement the EUDR.    👉 Some within the US administration have written to the European Commission to ask them to postpone implementation of the EUDR.     Mateus Carvalho from our partner organisation the Environmental Paper Network explains the paper company lobbying behind the US position and outlines why this destructive industry shouldn’t be exempt from rules to end #deforestation and human rights infractions.    Read more and sign up 👇  https://lnkd.in/dvD4_BuK 🔗 Links to the articles in the first comment!