COP26: Leaders pledge to end deforestation by 2030, UN chief welcomes new pact

World leaders, on Tuesday, pledged to protect forests, and slash methane emissions in order to combat global warming. The resolution came at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, where more than 130 world leaders vowed over $19 billion in private and public funds for the cause. In the aftermath, host British PM Boris Johnson hailed it as the first big achievement of the COP26, but experts noted that such promises have been made and broken before.  

"Forests are the lungs of our planet, absorbing around one-third of the global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels every year, but we are losing them at an alarming rate. An area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute," a statement on the UK govt website read. 

As a part of the proposed plan, the countries committed to ending deforestation by end of the decade. The participants included major forest-holders including Brazil, China, Colombia, Russia etc, that vowed to end and even reverse deforestation by the end of this decade. Meanwhile, Johnson lauded the agreement and said that it was time to end the “chainsaw massacre.”

“With today’s unprecedented pledges, we will have a chance to end humanity’s long history as nature’s conqueror, and instead become its custodian,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “Let’s end this great chainsaw massacre by making conservation do what we know it can do, and that delivers long-term sustainable jobs and growth as well,” he added.

'Essential to implement declaration for people & planet': UN chief

Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that signing the agreement was the easy part and now it is essential to be implemented. 

The announcement comes days after Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said that the government will shorten the amount of time needed to entirely eradicate illegal deforestation by two to three years. According to Mourao, the Brazilian delegation set a goal of zero illegal logging by 2027 or 2028 at the COP26, in Glasgow-- a year earlier than President Jair Bolsonaro's 2030 goal declared at the White House-led climate meeting in April.

(Image: AP)