GLASGOW: More than 100 world leaders representing more than 85% of the world’s forests yesterday, at COP26, the UN climate summit under way in Glasgow, Scotland, pledged to halt deforestation over the next decade.
The announcement included Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest, as well as Canada, Russia, Norway, Colombia and Indonesia. The US also signed onto the agreement, which was backed by $12 billion (about R185bn) in public funds and $7.2bn in private money.
The destruction of forests is a major factor driving up global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with about 23% of total emissions stemming from agriculture, forestry and other land uses.
Trees play a critical role in absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow, slowing global warming. When they are…