Hold big companies and countries accountable, says primatologist Jane Goodall

By SHAIRA PANELA

PARIS, France – Amid the intense climate change negotiations in Paris, world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall believes that big companies such as Nestle could be held accountable for their contribution to climate change.

During the film showing of the documentary “Stop the Burning,” Goodall said, “The head of Nestle and the companies are now going to have to pay a lot of attention to where their products come from and how they were made.”

The 10-minute documentary is a collective message for country leaders and negotiators in COP 21 to stop deforestation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Forests account for one-third portion of the world. It is commonly referred to as the “lungs of the Earth,” as they provide the oxygen we breathe in, among the other benefits such as food, shelter, medicine, water and barriers to floods, landslides, among others.

However, forests are continuously being depleted for various reasons including rapid urbanization and food production.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) recorded that a third of global forest cover has been cleared, others degraded. Its data also shows that only about 15 percent of the forests in the world remain intact.

Fifteen percent of the greenhouse gas emissions is also attributed to deforestation.

Global Forest Watch data shows that from 2001-2013 alone, the average carbon emissions due to deforestation is about 2.269MT, with Latin American countries, especially Brazil as the largest emitter.

Among the speakers in the documentary are the chief executive officers (CEO) and presidents of large companies such as Nestle, McKinsey and Company (Canada), and Bunge (Brazil).

Nestle CEO Paul Bulcke said in the video that taking care of the planet is the right thing to do. Meanwhile, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said, “It’s not ‘are we going to protect.’ It is ‘how are we going to protect them [forests]’ and ‘how fast are we going to get there.'”

story by SHAI PANELA; photo by Anna Valmero