One studyThe Environmental Investigation Agency found in 2018 that only one-third of tropical timber shipments from Peru to China were properly inspected, and of those inspected, 70 percent were from illegally logged land.
Another study published found in May that Chinese imports of products known to cause deforestation between 2013 and 2022 were linked to the loss of an estimated 4 million hectares of tropical forest, nearly 70 percent of which was illegally cleared. Greenhouse gas emissions from these imports were roughly on par with Spain's annual fossil fuel emissions.
“While China is a global leader in domestic reforestation and renewable energy, this report highlights a critical blind spot in the environmental costs of its imported agricultural and forestry products,” said Kerstin Canby, senior director at Forest Trends, in the report. press statement published with the report.
In the interview, Canby noted that China has implemented strong reforestation programs within its borders, but this has had a direct impact on vulnerable forests elsewhere, including the Amazon.
“China has been the star, but this is having a ripple effect,” Canby said. “Everyone is trying to protect their own forest, but all it does is push demands on those countries that have the least control, on those countries that are not protecting their own forest.”
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From the rooftop studio where Arce paints landscapes overlooking the coast, she can almost touch the mesh scaffolding erected outside the walls of her home to keep construction dust and debris from flying through the windows. (It happened anyway.)
Now, every day, trucks rumble in at the entrance to the port, which is about 100 feet from her back door, idling. She doesn't know exactly what they contain, and neither she nor anyone else has calculated the damage caused by their payloads. She just knows that there will be more of them soon.
Arce and many of her neighbors are concerned that the city's problems could worsen as the port expands in phases two and three of construction over the next few years, and as more roads and railroads are built to serve it.
“There's no place for the people who live here. We'll have to leave. Who are they going to take out of their homes?” she said. “This is the next fight.”
She worries that cracks will continue to creep along the walls of the house she has lived in since childhood, or that the foundation may one day collapse. Then someone joked that she should ask the Chinese for compensation. Possibly one of the recently delivered electric vehicles.
Arce smiled wryly and looked at the ocean, which that night was smooth and quiet. “Or a new house,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Domestic climate newsis a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization covering climate, energy and environmental issues. Subscribe to their newsletter Here.
