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[Music] global deforestation is out of control it's destroying biodiversity violating the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and exacerbating climate change but when forests outside of europe are destroyed what can the eu do about it well potentially quite a lot let's say a company from another country exports coffee to the eu as things stand governments and consumers can't know for certain if that coffee was produced on land that was deforested so products being bought and sold in europe can end up driving global deforestation but now the european commission has proposed a new regulation to change this they've identified six commodities linked to deforestation companies exporting them to the eu would need to provide a geo-location of the area used for production to prove it wasn't recently deforested they'd also need to prove that national laws hadn't been violated companies who break these rules would face fines and even confiscation of the products producer countries would also be assigned a risk rating for example countries with higher deforestation rates or lacks environmental laws would be seen as high risk so products from there would undergo greater scrutiny this regulation is a huge step forward in tackling global deforestation but unfortunately the proposal has five loopholes that could severely limit its impact firstly who decides if a product is legally produced this regulation says it's the country of origin but what if their laws fail to protect the land rights of communities well then this trade continues to cause harm [Music] the commodities identified by the eu aren't the only drivers of deforestation in fact three of the worst culprits are noticeably absent from the proposal rubber maize and canned meat products like cocoa are often produced by small holders making less than one dollar a day in the past regulations have ignored their needs pushing them further into poverty [Music] if companies destroy forests its local communities who suffer the most whilst this regulation might stop the eu from being culpable how does it help those on the front [Music] line even if this regulation does succeed in making eu supply chains deforestation free that doesn't stop companies from selling these products elsewhere meaning global deforestation continues to rise but the lawmakers could close these loopholes here's what they need to do [Music] for goods to qualify as legal they should make sure they're produced in line with international human rights standards thereby protecting the land rights of communities [Music] they should ensure the regulation covers all the commodities that drive forest loss [Music] small holders should be supported to adapt to the new regulation so they can earn enough income to afford a decent standard of living they should provide a mechanism for local communities to seek justice and compensation when their rights have been violated [Music] and rather than just forcing producer countries to seek alternative markets the regulation should incentivize them to tackle root causes of deforestation by supporting them to strengthen and enforce national laws and rewarding positive changes with a lower risk rating making it easier for them to trade [Music] also forests aren't the only natural habitats in trouble this regulation could help protect other vital ecosystems like savannas and wetlands this is a huge step in the right direction a once in a generation chance to protect human rights halt biodiversity loss and tackle climate change let's work together and seize this opportunity [Music] you