Fern NGO

Wood burning makes up about 40% of the EU’s #RenewableEnergy supply. But how sustainable is it?  Mass Imbalance reveals that the #EU does not know – because it cannot know. #Sustainability rules for woody #biomass under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) rely on poorly supervised voluntary certification schemes that are riddled with conflicts of interest and non-compliance. The RED’s voluntary certification schemes are not fit for purpose. Considering the multiple health, market distortion, #climate and #biodiversity issues caused by public incentives for using woody biomass fuels, fundamental reform is needed. We urge the EU to: ➡️ End incentives for wood burning as a form of renewable energy.  ➡️ Use funds to reduce the demand for heat by helping EU residents insulate their homes, and to increase the resilience of forests.    Read more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eA4rQkUn

What is happening at the European Cocoa Association? This week, the ECA called on the European Commission to extend the application date of the EU Deforestation Regulation by at least six months. The Association’s largest member Barry Callebaut Group has since released a statement, stating that they do not agree with their own Association’s call to delay the #EUDR. As Barry Callebaut says, a delay would risk re-opening the whole Regulation—which would be disastrous for companies that have already invested huge amounts of time and money into complying with the EUDR as is. People are starting to ask questions about what is happening with the compliance guidelines; a seemingly final version was leaked in April, so what has happened since then? Is von der Leyen blocking the guidelines deliberately, in the hope of amplifying the current backlash? Ursula von der Leyen needs to stop playing politics and release the guidelines now.

Le Centre pour l'environnement et le développement (CED) va organiser une série de webinaires sur le nouveau Code forestier au #Cameroun. L’un d’entre eux se concentrera sur le texte de la nouvelle loi forestière et encouragera les réflexions entre les parties prenantes. Voir ci-dessous pour plus de détails, y compris comment s'inscrire : 📅 Jeudi 26 septembre   ⏰ 10:30-12:30 (GMT 1)   📍 en ligne  🗣️ Traduction en français et en anglais  Inscrivez-vous ici 👇  https://lnkd.in/ef5MDhmB –––   The Centre for Environment and Development (CED) has organised a series of webinars on the new Forest Code in #Cameroon, the second of which will focus on the text of the new Forest Law and encourage reflections between stakeholders. See below for details including how to register: 📅 Thursday 26 September   ⏰ 10:30-12:30 (GMT 1)   📍 online  🗣️ French and English translation Register here 👇  https://lnkd.in/ef5MDhmB

As debates continue on whether to delay or reopen the EU Deforestation Regulation, our campaigner Julia Christian stands up for those who've already worked hard to ensure they comply with the #EUDR in the Financial Times:   “Companies have known this regulation was coming for several years now. [Some businesses] have chosen to take the risk of not preparing properly. It’s unacceptable for them to use this to pressure politicians to change the law after it has already been passed, when other companies have made the investments to be compliant in time.”   Read more by Susannah Savage, Alice Hancock and Andy Bounds: https://lnkd.in/evR9Z5jF

🆕 The latest issue of our #ForestWatch newsletter is out!     👉 As implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation draws near many are calling for a delay, writes Pierre-Jean Sol Brasier. The #EUDR is ground-breaking and we should therefore expect teething difficulties. The EU should focus on developing inclusive partnerships with producer countries on effective implementation, including providing support to independent smallholders. 👉 The European Commission has published its Strategic Dialogue on the Future of #Agriculture. An innovative common vision for the future of European agriculture, it is relevant for #forests in a number of areas, including #NatureRestoration, the #bioeconomy, #CarbonRemovals, diets and farmer incomes. 👉 Estonia’s Court of Auditors has raised concerns about the meteoric growth of Europe’s largest producer of wood pellets, Graanul Invest.  Martin Pigeon explains that the auditors’ report is another good example of why policies surrounding sales of state forest #timber should support sustainable goals.    👉 The acute problems blighting the #cocoa trade in Côte d’Ivoire are at risk of spreading into Central Africa. The EUDR can help smallholder growers understand the broader context in which they operate and better fight for their rights, write Salomon Essaga and Christian Ngoube Ngoube from our partner organisation, the Centre for Environment and Development (CED). Read more and sign up 👇  https://lnkd.in/es-5QkgW    🔗 Links to the articles in the first comment! 

Really useful reality check from Cote d'Ivoire on some of the noise we've been hearing recently that "EUDR is unimplementable because of smallholders". I like this: "Obviously, not everything will be perfect at first. We should continue to make efforts to improve everything that is being put in place. But this is not a sufficient argument to say that we are not ready and that we must postpone the entry into force. We are in a process, which should improve over time to be robust enough. If you don't start, you'll have a hard time identifying blind spots and the rest of the way to go." For non-French readers please click the translate button at the bottom of Bakary's post

📢 Don’t miss tomorrow’s webinar on the landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (#EUDR) at 14:00-15:30 CEST. Register now 👇 https://lnkd.in/eN7inarz Mighty Earth

Our Sustainable Consumption and Production Campaigner Nicole Polsterer's opinion piece in Climate Home News outlines the harm already being done by efforts to delay the EU's ground-breaking Deforestation Regulation https://lnkd.in/euR8PU_f

Great to see that Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe recommends in its new Energy Priorities for the next European Commission, an end to "all subsidies and other incentives for burning primary woody biomass, and for biofuel and energy crops that involve the dedicated use of land".

Great news coming from #Finland! A country with so much tree-cover prioritising heat pumps over biomass shows foresight and brings hope for a forested future.