Forests & Nature

In 2021, Climate Advisers helped the UK Government in designing and delivering the Leaders Summit on Forests and Land Use, including the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which was endorsed by over 140 countries and created the most comprehensive framework to date for ending natural forest loss globally by 2030. Our team worked directly with the UK team hosting the annual UN climate summit on the strategy to deliver real breakthroughs, as well as with other governments and key non-government actors to implement that strategy. The outcome included $20 billion committed by governments to end deforestation, along with actions by investors, financial regulators, and commodity traders that signaled a fundamental transformation of the drivers of deforestation. 

Climate Advisers launched the Forest Solutions Dialogue in December 2019 in response to the expressed need for a neutral space for climate diplomats to share experiences, discuss common challenges, and identify solutions to accelerate climate action in the forest sector through the implementation of cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The Dialogue membership has since grown to include 22 countries, with senior government officials participating under the Chatham House rule. Through action-oriented discussion sessions, supported by practical and original research, the Dialogue is making a tangible difference in resolving policy and technical barriers, ultimately supporting the necessary scale-up of forest-based mitigation efforts globally.

Climate Advisers provides sustainability risk analysis through Chain Reaction Research, a widely utilized online platform and news source that highlights the financial risks from deforestation in the Southeast Asian palm oil sector and soy and beef markets in Brazil. For almost a decade, Chain Reaction Research has been a leading voice in demonstrating that deforestation creates material risk for companies and investors. Chain Reaction Research provides its analysis through in-depth reports, webinars, weekly newsletters, and direct engagement. Analysts for Chain Reaction Research have been quoted in The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Mongabay, and various other media outlets.

In 2020, Climate Advisers published a research report intended to encourage low performing companies to incorporate more robust efforts to limit deforestation and other climate risks, produce agricultural commodities legally and sustainably, and protect local communities. The report was based on the Deforestation Risk Rankings created by Climate Advisers in collaboration with S-Network Indexes, which combined a holistic picture of a company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies and disclosures with a specific deforestation focus. This research informed our more recent analysis on how these climate-related factors create risks for investors and how US leadership in this space can benefit the private sector.

Climate Advisers has campaigned to elevate the role of forests and nature in the Biden administration. Through in-depth analysis, communications efforts, direct engagement with administration officials, and collaboration with NGOs, Climate Advisers conducted advocacy and outreach to both Capitol Hill and the White House to include forests and supply chains on their climate agendas while also influencing other major economies in adopting greater ambition for the forest, food, and land sector, including pledges to halt deforestation by the end of the decade.