Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom call for more ambition on global forest protection

In their joint statement, the three governments stressed that they are on track to deliver on their 2015 pledge to jointly provide US$1 billion per year by 2020, or over US$5 billion in the period 2015-2020, if countries came forward with ambitious plans to halt and reverse deforestation. They called for wider recognition of the key role that forests play in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050, as well as for sustainable development and biodiversity.

Andrea Leadsom, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “As the UK continues on the road to net zero emissions by 2050, we are asking governments and businesses around the world to support the planet’s forests and ensure they flourish for future generations.  Natural climate solutions such as forests can deliver more than a third of the global greenhouse gas reductions needed by 2030, which is why together with Germany and Norway, we have made a significant financial commitment to working with countries to conserve and restore tropical forests – a commitment that we are well on track to meet.”

The Norwegian Minister of Climate and the Environment Ola Elvestuen invited other progressive actors to join forces with them over the course of the next year to make concrete progress: “There is no climate solution without the rainforest. I am glad tropical deforestation is now receiving the attention it deserves. The international community needs to step up and support committed forest countries that deliver, with predictable results-based finance.”

All three governments are signatories to the New York Declaration on Forests that celebrates its 5-Year Anniversary at a leadership event today. German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze stated in light of this event: "We have little reason to celebrate, since deforestation rates remain alarmingly high. Since 2014, we have lost an area of forest the size of Great Britain every year. While the ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests are right, there is a lack of collective ambition for reversing the loss of forests by 2030.”

German Development Minister Gerd Müller, who has boosted the German engagement on sustainable supply chains, called upon companies and other governments to step up action to end global forest conversions driven by international commodity supply chains. He said: “The green lungs of our planet are on fire. Deforestation is a threat to the world’s climate and destroys wildlife and human habitats. We must stop this. We need to manage our planet's natural resources in a sustainable manner.”