110 nations at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, have declared that they will end and reverse global deforestation by 2030.
Deforestation is the removal of trees and jungles to produce wood for use in a variety of consumer goods and construction projects. Trees are also cut down in large numbers to clear space for farming projects and to produce land for homes and businesses. Trees are however one of the ways in which carbon dioxide can be extracted from the atmosphere and global warming can be combated. From now on, what this deal means is that jungle habitats will be protected and that trees that are cut down will be replaced in greater number than in which they are removed.
Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest, was one of the signatories of the deal. It had been feared that Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro would refuse to join the pact. In the past, he has been extremely opposed to green issues and has even described climate change as a hoax.
Speaking at the deal, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
"We have to stop the devastating loss of our forests and end the role of humanity as nature's conqueror, and instead become nature's custodian."
As part of the deal, around £14bn ($19.2bn) will also be spent protecting the forests of the world.
While many praised the deal others said it should have been done years ago and warned that a similar agreement in 2014 had not been adhered to.
UK's Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said of the deal:
"It is good news to have a political commitment to end deforestation from so many countries, and significant funding to move forward on that journey. Last time there was an attempt at getting such a commitment on forests [in 2014], Brazil didn't take part, neither did Russia, neither did China. Brazil, they've really engaged with us on this agenda. It's a big step for them."
When asked how the deal would be enforced, they added:
"It doesn't go as far into talking about enforcement mechanisms and so forth, that's not the nature of these agreements."
COP26 in Glasgow is one of the largest conferences ever held on the environment and it is hoped that by the end of the conference, there will be agreements on issues such as dramatically reducing carbon emissions.
[Based on reporting by: BBC]
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