The EU has launched several initiatives to help fight climate change. As forests play a crucial role in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that would otherwise contribute to global warming. The EU is working on plans to make every member state compensate for emissions caused by deforestation.

Parliament and the Council reached an agreement in December 2017, which MEPs voted in favour of during the April plenary session in Strasbourg. The Council will still need to approve the legislation as well before it can enter into force.

Read on to find out more about why forests are so important and what Parliament is proposing to offset CO2 emissions caused by deforestation.



Forests in the EU



The EU boasts 182 million hectares of forest, covering 43% of its land area. Forest coverage can vary considerably from one member state to another. In fact just seven countries account for more than 70% of the EU's forested areas: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden.



Why forests are important



Forests provide numerous ecosystem services: they help to protect the soil from erosion, form part of the water cycle, protect biodiversity by providing a habitat for numerous species, and regulate the local climate. Healthy forests are also crucial for fighting global climate change, because they capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The new legislation on the land sector aims to harness this potential as part of the EU's climate policy.