Causes of Deforestation • Forests

Forests

Worldwide, deforestation and conversion of land accounts for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The destruction and degradation of tropical rainforests driven by industrial agriculture is linked to human rights abuses, displacement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and destruction of critical species habitat. Intact forests are foundational to the cultures, livelihoods and spiritual well-being of hundreds of millions of people; they regulate the climate locally and globally; and they are the planet’s immune system, as rich biodiversity and dynamic, living ecosystems guard against the release of pandemic diseases.

Consequently, deforestation is at the center of some of the planet’s most urgent, overlapping crises: Increasingly intense natural disasters, unprecedented species loss, and an epidemic of violence against land and environmental defenders. There is no way to address the climate crisis without protecting the world’s last standing forests. Friends of the Earth’s International Forests program works to address the root causes of forest destruction and the marginalization of forest-dwelling communities. Our campaign on land grabs, forests & finance pressures the world’s largest financial institutions to “defund deforestation;” advances legislative and regulatory solutions; and seeks to amplify the voices and struggles of frontline environmental human rights defenders.

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Latest News See All
Major Banks Fueling Biodiversity Collapse by $395 Billion Since the Paris Agreement; Governments Failing to Reign in Banks

As the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 approaches, new research released by the Forests and Finance Coalition reveals that the world’s major banks have funneled over US $395 billion in credit to sectors driving deforestation and human rights abuses in tropical forests since the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

38 New York Lawmakers Call on Gov. Hochul to Position New York as Global Climate Leader by Signing the TREES Act

This week, 38 New York legislators are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to protect the world’s rainforests and sign the Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act.

Climate Week Panel: Experts Discuss Benefits of TREES Act During Climate Week

Local and global leaders gathered for a New York Climate Week panel event to discuss how New York can combat deforestation and the climate crisis through policy action and sustainable supply chains.  

Hear from local communities affected by deforestation

WATCH HERE


WATCH HERE

WATCH HERE


Impact Stories See All
Holding Multinational Corporations Accountable
Holding Multinational Corporations Accountable

Getting six major multinationals to stand up and take action is no small thing, but there is still work to be done.

Protecting the Amazon from Rampant Deforestation
Protecting the Amazon from Rampant Deforestation

Studies suggest that cattle ranching and animal feed production is currently responsible for 80% of deforestation across the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Saving a National Forest
Saving a National Forest

More than 111,000 Friends of the Earth members demanded that the Forest Service permanently protect our National Forests from corporations

Latest Blog Posts See All
How New York Can Tackle Deforestation and Jumpstart A Historic Path To Climate Justice  
How New York Can Tackle Deforestation and Jumpstart A Historic Path To Climate Justice  

A powerful group of Indigenous leaders and climate justice organizers used the stage of New York’s Climate Week to build momentum for the New York Tropical Deforestation-Free Procurement Act.  

Indigenous Leader Faces Murder Attempt, Death Threats Amid Intensifying Land Grabbing and Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado
Indigenous Leader Faces Murder Attempt, Death Threats Amid Intensifying Land Grabbing and Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado

Agribusiness companies operating in the Brazilian Cerrado continue to drive violence, intimidation, and dispossession against Indigenous leaders, traditional communities and environmental human rights defenders

Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Escalating Conflict by Astra Agro Lestari in Sulawesi, Indonesia
Urgent Action Needed to Prevent Escalating Conflict by Astra Agro Lestari in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Rather than pursuing a peaceful resolution following these recent business suspensions, Astra Agro Lestari is fomenting further violence and intimidation.

Resources See All
  • Cultivating Conflict: How Astra Agro Lestari, Brands, and Big Finance Capitalize on Indonesia’s Governance Gaps
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  • NY Tropical Deforestation NGO sign-on letter
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  • Land Grabbing and Ecocide: How Bunge, TIAA, and Harvard Fuel the Destruction of the Brazilian Cerrado
    Learn More