How does the EU plan to ban deforestation-related products?

As another step in curbing the accelerating pace of man-made climate change, Brussels has focused on chocolate, coffee and leather clothing. Under new rules unveiled on Wednesday, the European Commission plans to ban the sale of agricultural products from exterminated and destroyed areas. The initial list of targeted foods includes soy, beef, palm oil, cocoa and coffee, and wood. The move, designed in line with the European Green Agreement, is an attempt to ensure that forests around the world remain intact and continue to sequester carbon as they grow. While forests are often referred to as the lungs of the earth, the mismanagement of forests and their exploitation is one of the main drivers of global warming. When a company extracts a forest or drains a wetland in order to provide space for cattle breeding or timber extraction, the felled trees release the carbon they store back into the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 23 percent ...