In just over two months, Scotland will host the COP26 meeting, which represents the world’s last, best chance to limit global warming. COP26 will focus on the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. If we fail to meet that target, we will not be able to reach the net zero goal set for the year 2045. To avoid this, we need to protect our Forest Policy Research and seas.
Scotland is a major consumer of woody biomass. The United Kingdom consumes more than half of the world’s woody biomass for energy. The United States, Canada, and Russia are among the world’s top producers of wood pellets. The Glasgow Forest Declaration has drawn both criticism and praise, and over $19.2 billion in national and private funding was pledged to protect native forests. Furthermore, COP26 pledged to support Indigenous land tenure rights.
The United Kingdom and the European Union are large consumers of woody biomass. The United States, Canada, and Russia are the world’s largest producers of wood pellets. The Glasgow Forest Declaration has been praised and criticized by various NGOs. The statement is backed by $19.2 billion in public and private funds. COP26 and government funders have pledged to protect Indigenous land tenure rights and the rainforest.
The UK and European Union consume vast amounts of woody biomass. In the U.K., almost half of the woody biomass for energy generation comes from native forests. Other countries such as Canada and the United States are also major producers of wood pellets. The Glasgow Forest Declaration was praised by NGOs but has been criticised by environmental groups. It is backed by $19.2 billion in public and private funds. Government funders have also pledged $1.73 billion to protect Indigenous land tenure rights.
The Scottish government and the European Union are huge consumers of woody biomass and have pledged to limit deforestation by 2030. The United Kingdom and EU are the world’s leading consumers of woody biomass and the E.U. is the world’s largest producer of wood pellets. Despite the global commitments of governments, deforestation continues to increase and is now contributing over 23% of the world’s carbon emissions.
The Scottish economy is underdeveloped and poor in its use of natural resources. Thousands of potential jobs are in land-based industries in rural areas. To support these industries, the Scottish government must implement substantial land reform and grant access to vast areas of land. Further, more than a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation. In Scotland, forest-based activities are a key source of greenhouse gases.