Rainforests are not only the ‘green lungs’ of the planet but also the source of the forest resources that directly contribute to the livelihoods of 90 per cent of the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty. Emissions from deforestation also account for 17.4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – this is more than the whole global aviation and transport sector. Without urgent action to halt deforestation, we haven’t a chance of beating global climate change. Like all good climate policy should be, saving our forests is a good thing in itself. There is no magic solution to saving the rainforest but one measure we can take is to choke off demand for illegal timber here in the UK market.
In a speech ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit, my colleague the Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague set out the strength of the Conservatives commitment to tackling deforestation, and in particular to address illegal logging – in order to protect both the world’s rainforests and the rights of indigenous forest people.
William gave a clear commitment that a Conservative government will introduce new legislation to make the sale of illegal timber a criminal offence. We have supported the Government, and remain committed to, strengthening the draft EU Regulation ‘laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market’ but it is clear that action at the European level will only go so far.
In 2008, the United States amended the Lacey Act and made it illegal for a person or company to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase timber or timber products illegally taken, harvested, possessed, transported, sold or exported. The Lacey Act amendments are widely seen as a historic breakthrough and already leading to changes in practices among US retailers, importers, and manufacturers and logging companies.
There is no reason why this can’t be replicated here in the UK yet the Government has refused to legislate to this effect. If the Government does not act to make the sale of illegal timber a criminal offence, a new Conservative Government will, if we are elected. My Ten Minute Rule Bill is intended to send a message to the rest of Europe that we are ready to lead on closing the market to illegally harvested timber and protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of the rainforest.
Yet again Labour has failed to match its rhetoric with ambitious policy. Conservatives stand ready to make the changes to help save our forests.
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