Breaking! The California Deforestation-Free Procurement Act Is Reintroduced In California To Protect Our Forests & Endangered Species

Yesterday, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and bill co-sponsors, Peace 4 Animals, Friends of the Earth, and SCIL, announced the reintroduction of Assembly Bill (AB) 1979, The California Deforestation-Free Procurement Act.

“AB 1979 will expand California’s leadership on addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity, respecting Indigenous rights, and responding to the environmental emergency that is tropical deforestation,” Assemblymember Kalra said in a statement sent to WAN. “I remain committed to enacting a policy that ensures our state purchases and contracts do not inadvertently contribute to this global crisis and in doing so we can encourage more transparency and sustainable practices throughout global markets.”

The world’s forests are in crisis. Tropical forests cover roughly seven percent of the Earth’s surface but harbor close to half of all species on Earth. An estimated 18 million acres of forest, an area one-fifth the size of California, is lost every year, largely due to the expansion of agribusiness plantations. Tropical deforestation and related land-use changes are responsible for nearly a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions, and are a major contributor to the global biodiversity crisis.

“I have seen first-hand the heartbreaking effects of tropical deforestation while traveling and filming throughout the world,” stated Katie Cleary, Founder and President of Peace 4 Animals. “We will lose vital species such as endangered orangutans, tigers, and rhinos if we do not take meaningful action to end the destruction of our rainforests. The Deforestation-Free Procurement Act will help to aid in the protection of critical habitat thus preserving species and forests for future generations.”

If passed, all California state contracts involving commodities that put tropical forests at risk, such as palm oil, soy, cattle, rubber, paper/pulp and timber, would require contractors to maintain a “forest policy” and provide evidence that their operations in sensitive tropical regions are not linked to forest destruction and degradation or abuses of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. A version of the bill introduced in 2021 passed the Legislature with bi-partisan support but was vetoed by Governor Newsom.

Environmental advocates and industry leaders alike agree that such policies are the best way to prevent ongoing forest destruction. Hundreds of consumer brands, commodity traders, and national and subnational governments have shown support for ending deforestation and primary forest degradation. Many have chosen to back their support with policies that commit them to zero deforestation in their supply chains. A number of nation-states, notably Norway and France, have also adopted “deforestation-free” procurement approaches.

“At the recent UN climate summit, the world’s governments pledged to finance forest protection, in just the latest demonstration of the scale and urgency of the problem. But, very few governments have proven willing to curb the destructive consumption patterns that are the primary cause of the global deforestation crisis. California’s Deforestation-Free Procurement Act is a visionary but pragmatic approach to stemming the crisis at the root, and it needs all of our support,” noted Jeff Conant, Senior International Forests Program Manager at Friends of the Earth.

The principal coauthors of AB 1979 are Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles). The bill is also coauthored by Assemblymembers Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Luz Rivas (D-Arleta), Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), and Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica).