UK's Consumption Intensity Exceeds China's, Putting Pressure on World's Forests

Environmental Audit Committee calls for urgent action and transparency from the UK government in tackling global deforestation.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report states that the UK's consumption intensity, measured by its footprint per tonne of product consumed, is higher than that of China, putting enormous pressure on the world's forests.
The EAC has called for the UK government to develop a global footprint indicator to demonstrate the UK's impact on deforestation to the public and to set a firm target to reduce this impact.
The UK government has committed to requiring certain forest-based commodities to be certified as sustainable to be sold into UK markets, but the EAC has expressed concern over the lack of urgency and timeline for this legislation.
The EAC report also recommends that other forest-risk commodities, such as maize, rubber and coffee, be included in the certification regime as soon as possible.
In response, the UK government has stated that it is leading the way globally with new legislation to tackle illegal deforestation and is investing in international programmes to restore forests.