Indonesian palm oil, Brazilian beef top contributors to U.S. deforestation exposure

Published 2024년 5월 10일

Tridge summary

A report by Global Witness and Trase has found that the United States is contributing to tropical deforestation, with 122,800 hectares (303,445 acres) lost between October 2021 and November 2023, equivalent to the size of Los Angeles, due to imports of commodities like palm oil, cattle products, soybeans, cocoa, rubber, coffee, and corn. The report emphasizes that over a third of this deforestation is linked to palm oil imports, primarily from Indonesia, and 31.8% to cattle products, mainly from Brazil. The report underscores the need for the passage and enforcement of the FOREST Act in the U.S., which aims to prohibit imports from illegally deforested land, and emphasizes the responsibility of stakeholders including companies, governments, financial institutions, and citizens to curb commodity-driven forest loss. The report also highlights the potential for consumer choices and the use of transparency tools to drive changes towards deforestation-free supply chains.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

If you’re in the United States, your meal might come with a side of deforestation. The US imported palm oil, cattle products, soybeans, cocoa, rubber, coffee and corn linked to an estimated 122,800 hectares (303,445 acres) of tropical deforestation between October 2021 and November 2023 — an area the size of the city of Los Angeles, according to a new report provided by the NGO Trase for Global Witness. More than a third (33.8%) of the deforestation was linked to oil palm imports, primarily from Indonesia. Cattle products, sourced mainly from Brazil, Australia and Mexico, were the second-largest contributor, at 31.8%. Coffee placed third, at 24.2%, followed by cocoa (7.6%), soybeans (2%), corn (0.37%) and rubber (0.15%). “I think it’s quite striking how palm oil was potentially quite a big source of deforestation exposure for the U.S. as a commodity that has received lots of attention,” Mark Titley, senior research associate at Trase, told Mongabay.

Source: UkrAgroConsult