Majority of Europeans say strong law enforcement needed to combat deforestation
Following a proposal to delay the EU’s law to tackle deforestation, nearly three quarters of those polled believe lawmakers should prioritise implementation
EUDR-Polling-Report_October-2024Link to poll here
A new poll conducted across seven European countries reveals overwhelming public support for the groundbreaking EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), due to come into force on December 30, 2024. The survey, conducted by Savanta, shows that 84% of all respondents want to see implementation of the law, while 73% believe it should be a key priority for the EU. Across the seven countries surveyed, 88% of respondents said tackling deforestation was ‘important”, or “very important.” Less than one in ten respondents think governments are doing a “good” or “excellent” job at forest protection.
The EUDR intends to ban the sale of goods derived from beef & cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy and wood that have contributed to deforestation since December 2020. It is due to come into effect at the end of this year, but after intense lobbying by some governments and agriculture and forestry industry associations, the Commission bowed to pressure by proposing a 12-month delay to implementation.
The recommended postponement is expected to be voted on by the European Parliament in the mid-November plenary session, and was already approved by Member States on 16 October at a meeting of The Council of the EU. The Council insists that the proposed delay will not impact the goal to “minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide”. However, estimates by the European Commision in 2021 suggest a 12-month delay could lead to the destruction of 2,300 km2 of forest, approximately an area the size of Luxembourg, resulting in 49 Mt of greenhouse gas emissions..
Other key findings:
- Most respondents (62%) want environmental regulations to be stronger, with hardly any respondents (6%) wanting weaker regulations.
- A third of respondents want the environment to be the “top three” priority for governments.
- Almost three in four respondents (74%) support the EUDR protecting all types of forests including mangroves and wooded savannas, such as the vulnerable Cerrado in Brazil.
- More than two out of three respondents (68%) believe that misinformation by industry lobbyists is a big threat to effective environmental regulation and its implementation in Europe.
Commenting on the survey, Dr. Julian Oram, Policy Director at Mighty Earth said:
“This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented fires, flooding and storms fuelled by global heating, of which deforestation is a key driver. These poll results should leave EU Parliamentarians in no doubt that their citizens strongly back swift implementation of the EUDR. Politicians can’t allow enforcement of this vital law to be derailed by agribusiness and forestry industry lobbyists content to let global deforestation run rampant for another year.”
Nicole Polsterer, Sustainable Consumption and Production Campaigner at Fern, said:
“The message couldn’t be clearer: Europeans want strong laws to protect forests, and they want them now. This latest poll, like those before it, shows that EU citizens are strikingly unanimous in their desire for politicians to tackle the scourge of deforestation.”
“The EU must show the political will to make it work now. This means building partnerships and providing the resources necessary to those countries most deeply affected by the law.”
“The findings come at a critical juncture: as wildfires rage amid record temperatures around the globe, EU policymakers are dithering on implementing the groundbreaking law which can help tackle this planetary emergency, despite it having passed with a huge democratic mandate.”
Pedro Horta, Policy Officer at ZERO, said:
“We’ve already missed the 2020 target, set by SDG 15, to halt and reverse deforestation. The EUDR is a chance to tackle the issue effectively, with the EU showing the way to bring transparency to supply chains. Opening up the regulation for amendments can significantly undermine the implementation of the necessary measures to address this crucial front of the global environmental crisis and its ramifications. The approval of the EUDR was punctuated by overwhelming public support and this poll makes it clear that the public will hasn’t changed.”
Peer Cyriacks, head of land use at Deutsche Umwelthilfe, said:
“EU citizens want strong regulation that effectively protects forests from deforestation inside and outside the EU. The message to the German government is clear – the EUDR must remain untouched and must not be watered down by business interests.”
Notes to Editors
The polling work by Savanta was commissioned by Fern, Mighty Earth, DUH and ZERO.
Methodology:
- The responses of 14,528 adults in the EU were collected across 7 countries (Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, and Spain) with at least 2000 responses collected in each market.
- The reported data has been weighted in each country to be nationally representative in terms of gender, age and region. Countries have also been weighted such that each country has equal weight compared to another, meaning that overall results are not reflective of the different demographics that exist between the surveyed countries.
- Results are aggregated from each country surveyed unless otherwise specified.
Other results by demographics:
- Respondents aged 55+ are more likely to have the environment in their top 3 issues than those 18-34 (33% vs 28%).
- 18-34 year olds are as likely as older age groups to say they want stronger regulations on the issue (62% for 18-34, as well as 35-54 and 55+).
- Younger respondents are also more likely than older age groups to be familiar with EU policy. About two thirds (67%) are aware of the EUDR and 26% are familiar with it.
- Younger respondents who are consistently more aware of EU green policies are also less likely than older groups to think governments are doing a bad or terrible job at protecting forests (38% for 18-34 vs 49% for 35-54 and 59% for 55+).
For more information or to request an interview please contact:
Carole Mitchell | Global Director of Communications, Mighty Earth
[email protected] | +44 7917 105000
Pedro Horta | Policy Officer, ZERO[email protected] | +351 966 962 281
Nicole Polsterer, Sustainable Consumption and Production Campaigner, Fern
[email protected] +32 497 27 72 84
Peer Cyriacks, head of land use, Deutsche Umwelthilfe
[email protected] +49 160 966 7141 8
About Fern
Fern is the only EU not for profit organisation that solely focuses on forests. We work in collaboration with national partners and have thirty years’ experience working with EU institutions, particularly the European Commission, to ensure that Europe works for forests and forest peoples’ rights.
About Mighty Earth
Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organisation working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect half of Earth for Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. We have achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics. www.mightyearth.org
About ZERO
ZERO is a portuguese NGO focused on national policy advocacy and implementation follow-up. We aim to influence policies in order to achieve zero pollution, zero fossil fuel use, zero waste and zero ecosystem and biodiversity degradation. Our work extends to a wide range of areas, such as: biodiversity, agriculture, forests, ocean, water, waste, transportation, energy, air pollution, climate change and environmental education.https://zero.ong/
About Deutsche Umwelthilfe
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) is a German environmental and consumer protection organization that has been committed to protecting nature, forests, and the environment since 1975. It promotes climate protection measures, renewable energy, and sustainable consumption, and monitors compliance with environmental regulations.
