NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • December 14, 2021
A pledge to reverse deforestation around the world turned into one of the biggest, flashiest announcements at last month's UN climate summit in Scotland. Since then, to 141 have signed up. Together, they control 90 percent of the world's forests. They are pledging to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. But an indigenous activist from Chad took the podium to sound a note of skepticism. "Some governments and companies, including in this room, are responsible for deforestation and land-stealing in many areas.” Beautiful speeches are worthless without action, she said. Skepticism is justified. Similar promises have been made in the past. In recent years, millions of acres of tropical forest have been cleared in the Amazon and in Africa. Yet, there are some reasons to hope that this latest set of pledges might produce better results.