Assuming the Lead? Southeast Asia Increases Protection of its Tropical Forests

We rarely hear about deforestation in mainstream U.S. news, and we certainly don’t see the destruction of rainforests making the front page. Yet, rainforest destruction, particularly in Southeast Asia as acres of land are cleared for pulp and paper products and palm oil plantations, is a dire reality. Despite momentous strides made to protect the Amazon and other forests in the last decade, global tropical deforestation remains a major contributor to climate change, accounting for a shocking 10% of CO2 emissions.

A long-time leader in deforestation is the stretching archipelago of Indonesia, where substantial clearing and burning of rainforests and peatland has been business-as-usual for decades. In fact, Indonesia is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter. Unless you are a highly informed consumer, a brand concerned with its supply chain, or otherwise an advocate of rainforest protection, you are probably unaware of this sweeping, and continuous, destruction.

To continue reading, click here

Sara Santiago is a Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Future 500, a global nonprofit specializing in stakeholder engagement and building bridges between parties at odds—often corporations and NGOs, the political right and left, and others—to advance systemic solutions to urgent sustainability challenges.