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The climate summit in Glasgow has something to show up as a success. It is being called the "biggest step forward" in protecting the world's forests in a generation. More than 100 leaders have committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. Around $19.2 billion will be spent which will be funded by both governments and private companies. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/2/cop26-over-100-countries-pledge-to-end-deforestation-by-2030)
Boris Johnson, the host of the summit, has said that the pledge will support activities in developing countries, including restoring degraded land, tackling wildfires and help indigenous communities fight for their rights.
Some countries that have signed the pledge include Brazil, Russia, Canada, Colombia and Indonesia, which have witnessed large deforestation in recent decades. The Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forest and Land Use will cover over 13 million square miles of forests globally.
Announcing the "landmark agreement" on forests at COP26, Johnson said, ""With today's unprecedented pledges, we will have a chance to end humanity's long history as nature's conqueror, and instead become its custodian." (https://news.sky.com/story/cop26-more-than-100-countries-commit-to-ending-and-reversing-deforestation-by-2030-12457327)
According to studies, land-clearing accounts for almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. In large countries where forested lands are huge, they have been cleared for cultivation of products such as palm and soy. This could be prevented with the latest pledge by countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and others.
Although it is a welcome move, some are warning that a previous deal in 2014 by several countries had "failed to slow deforestation at all" and commitments needed to be delivered on. (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59088498)
The 2030 goal is identical to a declaration made by a smaller group of countries, known as the New York Declaration on Forests. They also set an interim goal of halving deforestation by 2020. But that could not be achieved. But one positive development is that the countries that have pledged to stop deforestation were not part of the group in 2014. (https://www.newscientist.com/article/2295703-over-100-countries-at-cop26-pledge-to-end-deforestation-by-2030/#ixzz7B4cdQfZb)
The agreement on deforestation has raised hopes that there could be consensus on other issues, too.
Read more:
What the agreement on deforestation says:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/01/biden-bolsonaro-and-xi-among-leaders-agreeing-to-end-deforestation-aoe
What Johnson and other leaders said about the deal:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-100-leaders-make-landmark-pledge-to-end-deforestation-at-cop26