President Biden has unveiled a six-point framework to stamp out deforestation from United States supply chains, with the outgoing president following through on a 2022 Executive Order—14072—to stop international deforestation, halt and reverse global deformation.
Supported by a report – which summarises tools and practices that the US government can use or adapt to avoid deforestation, the six points (listed below) provide, for the first time, a coherent foundation for demand-side deforestation policy and international capacity building to advance sustainable land use and reduce global deforestation.
The six key points include:
- Focus on illegal deforestation: Efforts will target deforestation classified as illegal, aligning with the U.S. Lacey Act.
- Prioritize high-risk areas: The US will focus on businesses and regions linked to high deforestation risks.
- Minimize compliance burdens: Policies will reduce unnecessary traceability costs in low-risk countries.
- Leverage private-sector investments: Utilize supply chain traceability systems to guide policy design.
- Use Earth-observation data: Enhance monitoring and enforcement of deforestation-driven agricultural production.
- Support global capacity building: Engage with governments to improve land management, governance, and enforcement.
Will Trump fight the European Union on the EUDR?
The new framework—which comes into effect less than 35 days before Donald Trump retakes the presidency—comes from Marc L. Busch, the Karl F. Landegger Professor of International Business Diplomacy at Georgetown University, reports that the new administration could oppose the EU’s push to roll out its signature deforestation policy next year.
Writing for the Hill last month, Professor Busch warned that Trump could work with a third country, like India (which in August warned that the EUDR could derail its US $124B trade deal with the EU), to protect its US $3.5b Euro-American trade in pulp, paper, timber and soybeans against the “woefully unprepared” regulations.
- To learn more about the EUDR and why the Biden administration pushed back against the “impossible standards,” click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
