Dr. Frauke Fischer’s Post

The EU’s Deforestation Regulation has been criticized for causing red tape. The EU Commission is now revising the reporting obligation, which the forest sector fears would be massive. #deforestation #EU #forestindustry Read the story: 👇 https://lnkd.in/er6ug8id

Last week, a large majority of the European Parliament voted in favour of the Commission’s proposal to drastically weaken or delete the majority of the environmental conditionality of the Common Agricultural Policy (#CAP). Not only does the reform directly oppose expert recommendations and societal demands, but it was also pushed through using an unfounded ‘urgency procedure’, without any impact assessment, real stakeholder consultation, or debate in the Parliament. These measures, fuelled by election fever, will not improve in the least the situation of farmers. They will further undermine soil health, excaberate the collapse of biodiversity and increase increase the vulnerability of cropping systems. This is not a solution: it is merely a waste of valuable time neither citizens nor farmers can afford. Not changing towards nature-inclusive practices, which protect our ecosystem services, is not an option. https://lnkd.in/eEi3gqBv

📢 Together with over 140 NGOs we are calling on the #EU to be a true climate leader by supporting real #ClimateAction and denouncing dangerous distractions and false solutions like #CarbonCapture and #CarbonRemoval technologies. To avoid the worst effects of the #ClimateCrisis, we must immediately, equitably, and justly transform the way we produce our food, relate to the Earth’s ecosystems and power our economies. For us, it is clear what #RealZero needs to look like:  🔥❌ A just and equitably managed phase-out of #FossilFuels; 🛩️❌ A real reduction of energy consumption for the ultra-rich and for industrialised countries; ☀️💨 A transition to fair, democratic and sustainable #RenewableEnergy; 👩🌾 🌽 Support for small-scale farmers and a fair transition from industrial food and agricultural systems towards #agroecology and food sovereignty; 🌲🌳 Close-to-nature #forestry practices and a reduction of the excessive demand for wood and agricultural commodities; 🌎👨🌾 Recognition of #IndigenousPeoples’ and small farmers’ land rights; 💸💸 The redirection of public subsidies away from fossil fuels and harmful industrial agriculture and forestry systems to support these measures. Read our statement 👇 https://lnkd.in/eHuWPVAG Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Fern NGO Verdens Skove Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Corporate Accountability Friends of the Earth SOMO AirClim (Air Pollution and Climate Secretariat) Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND Bundesgeschäftsstelle) Food & Water Action Europe Seas At Risk Friends of the Earth Europe

"As restoring drained peatlands is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector, EU countries must restore at least 30% of drained peatlands by 2030 (at least a quarter shall be rewetted), 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050 (where at least one-third shall be rewetted). Rewetting will remain voluntary for farmers and private landowners." https://lnkd.in/eji6UeSP

https://lnkd.in/d6kus6wj In response to escalating environmental challenges and the ever-growing demand for food, soil conservation has emerged as an essential practice to safeguard environmental health and ensure sustainable agricultural productivity.

Denmark introduced historic climate tax on agriculture, as the first country in the world. From 2035, Danish farmers will pay a levy of DKK 300 per tonne of CO2 they emit. A CO2 tax on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will be introduced from 2030 of DKK 120 per tonne of CO2.It will rise to DKK 300 per tonne in 2035. #agriculture #emissions #sustainability Thanks to Daniel Iddon for sharing. Guess if interest for you Erika Hombert

"Scaling soil carbon farming does not occur in a vacuum – it needs a funding mechanism to support landholder initiatives and actions," - Matthew Warnken, Managing Director of AgriProve. As Australia continues its journey towards Net Zero, climate entrepreneur Matthew Warnken believes that carbon offsets offer two distinct opportunities for our country: an economic instrument for putting a price on carbon, and a funding mechanism for research and innovation that leads to practical action. Standing in the way of this opportunity for innovation, however, is the idea that carbon credits offer a 'licence to pollute' for fossil fuel companies. Learn more about this in Matthew's latest op-ed for Beef Central below. https://lnkd.in/dcHufe4f #MediaCoverage #Climate #NetZero #PublicRelations

Euractiv drawing attention to impact of EUDR for smallholders. In the European Union. What is often forgotten is that EUDR also includes beef and soy produced in the EU (as well as wood and leather). The same is true for small farmers in countries like Serbia. But describing it as if farmers need to have due diligence systems. It is not the farmers but the companies that bring the products on the market that are responsible (which in some cases can be the farmers). And with a board member of the World Farmers' Organisation expressing doubts about effect vs costs of EUDR: is would ‘only’ reduce global deforestation by 1.5%! Come on! The impact of deforestation on climate and biodiversity is so immense that 1.5% would be an incredible result!

On the International Day of Forests, I'm happy to share an article I drafted for the Tropical Forest Alliance that highlights the significance of the Cerrado - the largest biome in South America after the Amazon and the most biodiverse savanna in the world. Its trees, grasses and soils lock away one-sixth of all Brazil's stored carbon, but it is under great threat from industrialised agriculture. This article and the report on which it is based, which I also edited, explain how to save this precious ecosystem in a way that balances environmental protection with economic production. https://lnkd.in/esHYk_jY

A large part of the counter-arguments to the world’s green transition often come from sectors that are likely to be threatened financially but such transformation. We’ve seen this and discussed this at large with the energy sector, and we know that the financial stability of, say, the oil industry is in stark contrast to the long-term viability of our planet. However a sector that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much is that of agriculture. But we only need to look to Spain to see what measures are being taken to tackle this particular issue. To protect the Doñana wetlands in Andalusia from drought (a huge problem in the area which is only exacerbated by the climate crisis), the government has announced a €1.4bn investment package to encourage farmers to stop cultivating crops that rely heavily on water - in favour of more viable alternatives. It is also a rare example of national and regional authorities, currently led by fiercely opposed political parties in the country’s media, being able to jointly work on an agreement that benefits the wider population. #europeofcities #europe #donana #greentransition #greenagenda #greenagriculture #agriculture #investment #climatecrisis