World’s First National Zero Deforestation Policy, Adopted by Norway

 

Norway now has a zero deforestation policy, the world’s first such policy to be officially instituted.

In 2014, Norway, Germany, and Britain pledged to “promote national commitments that encourage deforestation free supply chains.” The UN Climate Summit witnessed Norway, along with Britain and Germany, declare to encourage deforestation.

The call to arms has been since then reinforced in Norway by companies and national industries. After two years of giving them time to adapt, the Norwegian government has made the policy official – deforestation is now entirely banned in Norway and products that contribute to deforestation are no longer to be used within the country’s borders.

The Scandinavian nation hopes that its personal efforts will set a proper example to the world in the gigantic endeavor to protect the rain-forest. The country now hopes that its co-pledging countries, Germany and Britain, will follow with similar zero deforestation policies and demonstrate an united international front in the ongoing fight against climate change.

In just the past decade, Norway has invested tremendous resources in other countries in order to enable them to properly manage their deforestation issues. Liberia will be given $150 million, Guyana was given $250 million, and Norway’s highest international deforestation investment is Brazil, to which the Norwegian government granted $1 billion in 2015.

With this aid, Brazil was able to save 33,000 square miles of rainforest. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is now at less than 25% than it was in 2008. This was regarded as “one of the most impressive climate change mitigation actions”. While Brazil is still nowhere near its own zero deforestation law, if the past decade is any indication of the future, it is a definite possibility further down the line.

In the field of forest conservation, Norway has led by example and all over the the globe, nations followed. In 2015, it has been reported that the rate of deforestation was halved in comparison to the 1990s.

Efforts such as the zero deforestation policy should be a testament in regards to the determination of humanity against climate change. By globally keeping all the remaining forests intact, the world could undo more than a quarter of the issues caused by global warming.

Image Courtesy of Reddit.