Do our consumption habits lead to deforestation?

Last year we spoke about how our household budget is affected by climate change, unfortunately something that some of us faced after the recent floods in the UK. But have we ever considered the converse - that is, how our consumption habits may affect climate change? 

One way is through our consumption of products such as paper, wood, and agricultural goods that have been linked to higher levels of deforestation. Rich countries, like the UK, have increased their demand for those products which has led to increased imports, as the domestic production can’t meet the demand of the customers. As a result, globally we need more land to use for the production of consumer goods, which contributes to deforestation. Additionally, consumption of foods like beef and soy can drive deforestation through the expansion of livestock and crop production. 

But can the consumption that happens in the UK can lead to deforestation into another country even if that country is in another continent? Unfortunately yes, as the UK imports a lot of goods linked to deforestation such as beef and soya. As a result our consumption increases deforestation in countries such as Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as shown in the map below. 

According to a report from WWF “over 40% of the UK’s overseas land footprint was in countries with high or very high risk of deforestation, weak governance arrangements and poor labour standards. While the UK is only the 15th largest contributor to tropical deforestation in global terms, the intensity of UK consumption (in terms of footprint per tonne) is higher than that of China.”

Looking at the specific products, the same study from WWF estimated that UK imports of just seven ‘forest risk’ commodities— soy, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather, paper, rubber, and timber— accounted for a land footprint equivalent to 88% of the UK’s land mass every year. The figure below indicates that the main commodities which drove the UK’s contribution to deforestation are cattle, palm oil, industrial roundwood and soybeans during 2021. 

And the big question is, why should we care if we consume soya in the UK and that has as a consequence the destruction of the forest in Mato Grosso (Brazil)? Aside from the direct impact of forest loss and land use change on local, regional and global climate, deforestation also usually has severe negative consequences for the livelihood of indigenous people that count around 5% of the world's population. However, indigenous people are the main life support of 80% of the world’s biodiversity across 90 countries. Without them we could see more destruction of forests and more severe impacts of climate change. We also need to bear in mind that 25% of the world’s population depends on forest for their livelihoods and well-being and that includes 90% of people living in extreme poverty.

Is there anything we can do? Of course this blog is not intended to guilt trip anyone for their consumption of beef or soya, though undeniably eating less of these types of foods would reduce overall demand. For us to be aware of where the products we consume are coming from and how they affect the environment should be something that we can consider, but we don’t always have the information needed in order for us to make effective decisions. A recent report from MP’s suggest that large purchasers of catering and food service could lead by example, for example UK’s public sector which spends around £3.2 billion on food purchases could lead the way by purchasing sustainable food sources. But also the government has already introduced legislation to make sure that UK’s consumption doesn’t lead to deforestation and explores international efforts on how we can restore forests.