Q&A: What does the EU’s new deforestation law mean for climate and biodiversity?

Apr 19, 2023

A view of a deforested area at the National Forest Bom Futuro in Rio Pardo, Brazil

Under the new EU law, companies will need to prove they did not produce certain goods on land that has been deforested since 31 December 2020. Image: REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Aruna Chandrasekhar

Journalist, Carbon Brief

Orla Dwyer

Food, Land and Nature Journalist, Carbon Brief

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Deforestation law European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, EU commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides and EU commissioner for Environment and Oceans Virginijus Sinkevicius European Green Deal, 2020.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, EU commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides and EU commissioner for Environment and Oceans Virginijus Sinkevicius give a joint press conference on the European Green Deal, 2020. Image: REUTERS

Deforestation law. Contributions of eight key commodities to EU-driven deforestation between 2008 and 2017. Percentage shares are shown for palm oil (blue), soya (red), wood (green), cocoa (purple), coffee (light blue), beef (orange), rubber (dark blue) and maize (dark red).

Contributions of eight key commodities to EU-driven deforestation between 2008 and 2017. Percentage shares are shown for palm oil (blue), soya (red), wood (green), cocoa (purple), coffee (light blue), beef (orange), rubber (dark blue) and maize (dark red). Image: Carbon Brief/European Commission.

The tropics lose around 5.78Mha of forest each year, the vast majority of which is caused by commodity-driven deforestation. Of this, 59% occurs in Latin America, 28% in south-east Asia, 1.4% in Africa, 2.4% in North America, 1.5% in Russia, China and South Asia, 1% in Oceania and 0% in Europe. In all regions, commodity-driven deforestation is the main cause with a small portion of deforestation driven by urbanisation. Image: Our World In Data.

An aerial view shows a deforested area during an operation to combat deforestation in Brazil. Image: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Contribution of imported consumption on the deforestation risk for six of the commodities targeted by the EU legislation for (left to right) the EU, China, India, Russia, the US, Japan, and the rest of the world (RoW). The chart shows the average deforestation over the period 2008-17, in thousands of hectares per year. The numbers above each bar give the percentage contribution of each country. Image: European Commission.

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An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Image: REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Forest degradation, as defined in the new EU deforestation law. Image: EU.

Forests are the main ecosystems the EU deforestation law currently aims to protect, but grasslands, peatlands and savannas could be included in that list within two years. Image: EU.

How the EU deforestation law defines “relevant legislation”, which goes beyond just national laws and includes international human rights law. Image: EU.

A general view of a palm oil plantation in Siak regency.

Palm oil is one of the products targeted by the new EU law. Image: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

Article 14.2(a) of the EU Deforestation Regulation on the risk-based approach to determine the kinds of checks under the law and sources of information for such a determination. Image: EU.

Have you read?

Letter to EU policymakers on the EU deforestation law, signed by 14 developing countries that are major commodity producers. Image: WTO.

Both carbon border measures, and the evolving laws on deforestation, reflect the growing trends towards rule-making that has an extra-territorial reach. Image: REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

The EU deforestation regulation does not create obligations for other countries. Image: REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

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