5,000 signatures reached
To: House of Representatives
Pass a Deforestation-Free Import law!
We call on the House of Representatives to stop the importation of products to Aotearoa NZ associated with forest destruction and human rights abuse by broadening the scope of the Forest (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill to cover all ‘forest risk’ commodities, and require public and private entities to verify products they import have not come from deforestation or linked to human rights abuses.
Why is this important?
The world’s forests are home for millions of indigenous people, they are the lungs of the planet - critical in the fight against climate change - and provide vital habitats for abundant wildlife.
But forests are under threat from an insatiable industry that clears, burns, chips and mills to make way for plantations and to produce cheap goods.
To make matters more urgent, deforestation itself is also a major driver of climate change, contributing 10 to 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
SOLUTIONS EXIST
The global community has solutions at hand to save global forests, but we must demand the political will from our Governments.
The New Zealand Government can play a part by passing a law to ensure that products entering Aotearoa (including products the Government procures) are not contributing to the loss of the Earth's most precious forests.
New Zealand has to crack down on imports of the most high-risk commodities such as palm oil, palm kernel, pulp and paper, soy, animal products (like beef and leather), cocoa, coffee, and rubber.
Right now there is a political opportunity to strengthen New Zealand’s rules governing importation of forest products, but we must act quickly.
🌲 Be a forest champion and help save this planet for future generations. Sign and share our petition to pass a strong New Zealand law to fight deforestation!