For the second time in 12 months, Deutsche Bank is about to violate its own Environmental and Social Policy Framework. By mid-2021, the bank is expected to transfer the second tranche of a 25m USD loan to Singapore-based rubber giant Halcyon Agri, knowingly overlooking its record of human rights violations, non-transparency, and some of the most devastating deforestation in … [Read more...]
EU Commission includes fossil fuels in green taxonomy proposal
For the last year, Central and Eastern European governments have been pressuring the EU to include less restrictive criteria for biomass energy production and to recognise natural gas as a transition fuel towards climate neutrality. They may have realised their ambitions with the current draft of the EU Sustainable Taxonomy proposal. Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will be … [Read more...]
Forging a path to forest restoration and well-being
The theme for this year’s International Day of Forests (IDF) is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being” and it’s one that resonates with the local forest industry. “Many people don’t know that timber plantations in South Africa were originally established to provide an alternative timber supply, in order to protect our few natural forests from further … [Read more...]
New illegal forest concessions in the DRC
Greenpeace Africa calls on the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, to order the immediate cancellation of four illegal forest concession contracts signed last June 11 by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Claude Nyamugabo. Greenpeace Africa calls on the public prosecutor to open proceedings. In an action brought by civil … [Read more...]
Most forest biomass worse for climate than fossil fuels
A European Commission report concludes that the burning of most forest biomass produces more greenhouse gas emissions than coal, oil and gas. In 23 out of the 24 scenarios the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) examined, biomass had a negative impact on climate, biodiversity, or both. Indeed the report, published this Monday, finds that most of the forest biomass … [Read more...]
EU Sustainable Taxonomy must be rooted in climate science
The global climate strikes have consistently made a simple demand: listen to the science. We agree. Just as experts and evidence have been key assets in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, so too must they, and not sectoral interests, determine our policies to fight the climate crisis. WWF Central and Eastern Europe, along with a coalition of NGOs, think-tanks, experts and … [Read more...]
Bringing nature back to KwaNobhule
Greening the Community is a collaborative project between Indalo Nursery, Community Conservation Fund Africa and the Wilderness Foundation Africa. It aims to bring nature back to the KwaNobhule township but also to encourage residents to green the space in which they live, their community and ultimately their country and planet. The pivot behind the project is John … [Read more...]
Time to declare this gorilla haven a national park
The Cameroon Prime Minister’s office announced the suspension of logging plans in Ebo forest on Tuesday, 11 August. The suspension of logging plans, which Greenpeace Africa called “a massacre”, leaves the fate of Ebo forest and the rights of local Banen communities entirely unclear. Ebo forest is essential for more than 40 local Banen communities. Amidst a global coronavirus … [Read more...]
Plans for logging in Ebo Forest denounced by civil society
Greenpeace Africa and local communities denounce a decision by the Government of Cameroon to open up 68,385 hectares of pristine rainforest to logging. The fate of a 65,007 ha zone of Ebo, also threatened with logging, remains unclear and must also be spared from chainsaws. The 14 July decree to log a zone about half the size of London blatantly ignores requests by local … [Read more...]
Kenyan tea farmers switching to renewable energy
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many Kenyan communities, which depend on the tea sector, as the tea sector's output and demand in tea is falling. However, an innovative Kenyan project running three years is continuing to create thousands of healthier homes, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, while reducing the demand for firewood which helps reduce … [Read more...]
EU must tackle forest destruction to reduce the risk of pandemics
While the world continues to grapple with the devastating consequences of Covid-19, WWF is calling for urgent action to address the key drivers it has identified which will cause future zoonotic disease outbreaks. In a new report Covid-19: Urgent Call to Protect People and Nature, WWF identifies a number of environmental factors which drive the emergence of zoonotic … [Read more...]
The reemergence of Europe’s biggest wild cat
Here is some good news about humans learning to live in peace with nature. Indeed, both CAN thrive together. This is the only sustainable future. The Eurasian lynx was once quite common in most of Europe. However, their abundance has been dramatically reduced in the last two centuries due to hunting, landscape changes and deforestation. With the 11th of June celebrated as … [Read more...]
Victory for nature and the rule of law in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court suspended the execution of Pirin National Park's new management plan, which would have allowed construction in 66% and logging in 48% of the national park and World Heritage Site. WWF-Bulgaria has been fighting to prohibit new logging and construction in Pirin National Park since November 2016, activities that would endanger many … [Read more...]
