Despite global commitments to end deforestation by 2030, only eight of the top 20 countries that are levelling trees the fastest have related quantifiable targets in their national climate action plans (NDCs), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) warned on Monday.
That’s according to the UN-REDD report on accelerating climate action to protect forest cover worldwide, which is a key part of the effort to capture carbon and slow global warming.
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The report reveals a major gap in forest protection, management and restoration in current NDCs, which lay out plans to adapt and mitigate climate change.
Falling short
Pledges submitted from 2017 to 2023 do not meet the global ambition to halt and reverse deforestation, said UNEP.
Forests have the potential to contribute up to one third of the emissions reductions needed to close the 2030 mitigation gap.
Although 11 of the NDCs do contain targets relating to tree replacement or reforestation, mitigating the impacts of climate change requires reducing deforestation first, as it takes many years to capture the carbon being lost.
UNEP said it was crucial for NDCs to integrate existing national strategies to curb emissions from deforestation, which 15 of the 20 countries examined have adopted.
