In response to the launch of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership at COP27 on 7 November, Rainforest Action Network released the following statement:
“With today’s launch of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership at COP27, It’s encouraging that nations have recognized the need to keep forests standing in order to address our climate crisis and, more importantly, elevated the central importance of Indigenous communities in protecting those forests.
“But to truly deliver on these pledges these global agreements must prioritize protecting and restoring natural forests and upholding rights — and not act as cover for false solutions including offsets, burning forests for energy, and other spurious negative emissions technologies.
“There must be a plan to get funds into the hands of Indigenous Peoples defending their territories from corporate exploitation for fossil fuels and forest-risk commodities. There must be explicit requirements for governments to halt deforestation and forest conversion effective immediately, and there must be a much more aggressive timeline than 2030 for reducing significant forest loss.”