“The time is ripe to increase the scope and impact of zero-deforestation commitments by transnational companies, said lead author Eric Lambin, the George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor in Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. “They align with a growing availability of monitoring data from satellites and other sources as well as a proliferation of national and international public policies aimed at conserving forests to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
We know the global human population will swell over the next few decades, with as many as 3 billion people joining the ‘middle class’ with its associated demand for richer diets. Food production to meet this demand would mean a roughly 70 percent increase, and, in a business-as-usual scenario, require converting 10-20 percent of Earth’s remaining natural habitat to agricultural lands.
“These companies stand poised to break the link between commodity production and deforestation,” said coauthor Holly Gibbs, an associate professor of geography environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “To do that, more immediate action is needed to demonstrate commitment to change and to clear the haze surrounding these efforts.”
Corporations expect to face increased pressure and expectations for cleaner, more transparent supply chains. Detailed research and complementary partnership between the private and public sector can help spur the progress we recognize as essential for more effective land-use strategies.
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