Roots Newsletter: Uniting for Forests and Forest Peoples | April 2024

Dear friends, members, allies, and comrades,

In the first quarter of 2024, the Global Forest Coalition and its members continued to work together to address impacts on forests and communities across our four main campaigns — Forests and Climate Change, Unsustainable Livestock Production, Gender Justice and Forests, and Extractive Industries, Tourism and Infrastructure.

It was a great opportunity to see many familiar faces, get to know new ones, discuss strategies and plans, and reinvigorate communications within the coalition. We are looking forward to building on the momentum.

As we look forward to further collaboration over the coming year, it’s also a useful time to reflect back on the work of the last few months upon which we can build.

Please take a look at some of the work we’ve been doing and, as always, share widely within your networks and reach out to us if you have any key actions you’d like to share within the coalition and beyond.

COP28

GFC and many of you were present in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for COP28 (November 30 – December 12, 2023). GFC had numerous spokespersons on the ground and spoke at dozens of events, where we advocated for real solutions to the climate crisis.

For a full overview of our work at COP28 visit the GFC Website here.

Media and Public Advocacy

Comic Book: The Carbon Conspiracy: False Promises, Real Threats: In the comic book The Carbon Conspiracy, a peaceful rural community’s existence is rocked by the arrival of a carbon offset project. What at first appears to be a win-win deal for all involved is quickly exposed as a con by the Greenfuel Corporation. Available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

Podcast: We released episodes 4, 5 and 6 of the GFC podcast series Roots of Resilience: On the Frontlines of Climate Justice. In Episode 4, Africa Rising, two exceptional African leaders, Lucy Mulenkei of IIN Kenya and Anabela Lemos of JA! Mozambique, unveil the harrowing effects of climate change and expose the repercussions of false solutions on the environment, biodiversity, and diverse communities.

In Episode 5, Reflections from COP28, we speak with Souparna Lahiri, GFC’s Climate Campaigner and Advisor, and Dil Raj Khanal, National Policy Facilitator at FECOFUN, Nepal, on how the UNFCCC continues to relegate Indigenous Peoples, Civil Society, Grassroots Communities, and those most impacted by Climate Change to the fringes of policy discussions and decisions.

In Episode 6, Stories of Climate Resilience from Central Asia, we speak with dedicated advocate for biodiversity and forest protection in Central Asia and beyond, Elena Kreuzberg, who takes us on a compelling journey into Central Asia, an often overlooked region in the global climate conversation.

Click here to listen now on a range of platforms.

Photo Essays: In the three-part photo essay series, Guardians of Earth’s Tomorrow, we bring you stories of three visionary organisations actively shaping utopias today. Each essay, from Agromandala in Colombia, The TreeBox Project in Armenia, and The Seed Fairs of Heñói in Paraguay, tells the story of a community forging alternative pathways towards food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and gender justice.

News Release: Human Rights and Environmental Concerns Found in UN-financed large-scale Livestock Project in Colombia

Report: “Examining Sustainable Livestock Intensification and Financing: A Critical Analysis of the Hacienda San José Case in Colombia“

Article: Closing Gender Gaps in Biodiversity Conservation Demands Robust Indicators

Article: Delay, Distract and Deceive: BECCS Developments in South America, Africa and Asia

News Release: Global Leaders Urged to Urgently Reject Corporate-Backed Deceptions and Redirect Funding to Real Climate Solutions

Statement: GFC’s Statement on Palestine

Open Letter: Don’t gamble with our future: Reject the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework

Article: The Dark Side of Technology: Coltan Mining in the DRC and its Human Rights and Environmental Impacts

Joint Statement: GFC joins calls for IDB to reject loan request for cattle ranch expansion in Paraguay

COP 28 Press Conference: The Illicit World of Climate Finance – YouTube
COP 28 Press Conference: Reality Check: COP or Cop Out?
COP 28 Press Conference: Reality check on Fossil Fuels phase out & Just Transition: impacts on land, forests and communities

COP 28 Press Conference: Why Big Biomass is Not Renewable Energy

COP 28 Press Conference: Big agribusiness must not lead the transformation of the global food system

COP 28 Press Conference: Communities Rising: Voices from the Ground Against False Solutions