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The Russian rouble is weakening slightly amid geopolitical uncertainties
The Russian rouble was slightly weaker against the U.S. Dollar on Wednesday, as the market anticipated further developments in the talks between Russia's and the U.S. regarding Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy is expected to visit Washington later this week. The rouble had fallen 0.3% to 84.25 USD on the OTC market by 1115 GMT. The Russian currency has risen by about 25% this year against the dollar, mainly on expectations that geopolitical tensions will ease. Sources familiar with the plan say that Kirill Dmitriev - a key Kremlin negotiator - is expected to arrive in Washington this week for discussions with President Donald Trump's Administration, including U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Denis Popov, an analyst at PSB Bank, said: "The news backdrop is excessively volatile, and we do not believe that it provides clear positive signals. This will continue to limit the demand for rouble-denominated assets." He added that, "due to the increased volatility in exchange rates and the uncertainty of geopolitical outlooks, we will be focusing our attention on sideways movement in the exchange rate in the near term." The rouble, which is the most commonly traded currency in Russia, was down 0.4% to 11.70 at the Moscow Stock Exchange. (Reporting and editing by Gareth Jones.)
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Singapore detains 2 teenagers: one for a plan to shoot at mosques and the other for joining Islamic State
By Jun Yuan Yong SINGAPORE, 2 April - Authorities in Singapore have used the internal security law to punish two teenagers separately. One was charged with planning to attack mosques while the other was charged for wanting to join Islamic State militants to fight on Syria, they said. Authorities said that the 17-year old male subscribed to a far-right extremist ideologie and saw himself as "East Asian supremacist". The department of internal security said that he wanted to shoot at mosques, and had tried unsuccessfully to buy weapons, including in the United States and Malaysia. It said that the teenager wanted to kill 100 Muslims to surpass the Christchurch attack of 2019, in which a gunman shot and killed 51 people in a Mosque. He could be detained for two years, without trial, under the Internal Security Act of the island. Authorities said he was identified after an investigation into a 18-year old detained in December for similar far-right extremism. The authorities in Singapore are concerned about the radicalisation of youths and have used 17 youth aged under 20 since 2015 to enforce the Internal Security Act. This law allows for suspects to remain in custody without trial for long periods of time, or be issued a restriction order that limits travel and Internet access, among other things. Nine of the 17 people detained over the last ten years planned to attack in Singapore. According to statistics, 74% are Chinese, 13.6 % Malays, 9% Indians, and 3.3% other. The second youth detained was a female aged 15 who wanted to marry a fighter for the Islamic State and raise a pro IS family, or fight in Syria with the extremist group. In February, she was given a restriction order. "Self radicalisation can occur very quickly. It took only a few weeks for the 15-year old. The public must be alert to any signs that someone in their vicinity may have radicalized," stated the department of internal security.
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BHP considers spinning off its iron ore and coal divisions
Three sources familiar with the matter said that BHP, the world's largest listed miner, considered splitting off its Australian coal and iron ore divisions as part a medium-term strategy for growth. Two sources stated that BHP, in order to focus on commodities such as potash and cobalt, was considering separating the divisions. This is similar to what it did with South32 back in 2015. The most likely outcome would be an Australian listing. They asked to remain anonymous as the matter was sensitive. BHP is pushing to green their business, and preparing to bid on Anglo American for 2023 and 2024. BHP has declined to comment. This would fundamentally reshape BHP and divorce it from the more than 50 years of iron ore mines in Australia where it was founded in 1885. About 60% of BHP's profits are derived from iron ore. By separating coal from iron ore, the majority of its carbon emissions would be reduced. BHP will keep its South Australian assets. This is in line with its strategy of being a major supplier of metals needed for energy transition. BHP has decided to not move forward with its plans at this time, but the discussions provide an insight into what the miner will consider when it recalibrates the future direction of the company with a new senior leadership. The former National Australia Bank chief Ross McEwan took over as the new BHP chairman this week after Ken MacKenzie left. A contest to replace CEO Mike Henry, who is in his fifth year at the top, will soon begin. Henry and David Lamont, BHP's CFO who stepped down in February 2024 from his role, spoke with investors about the plan to separate BHP’s future growth from declining growth businesses by the end of this decade. They decided that it was not the best time, because BHP needed the enormous amounts of cash generated from the two Australian divisions in order to fund capital expenditures at its Escondida Copper Complex in Chile and Jansen Potash Development in Canada. BHP believes that a spin-off from iron ore and coking coal will generate cash and franking credit benefits for Australian tax payers, so there may be a lot of interest on the part of Australians in any flotation. The people added that a copper and potash unit with more freedom would be able to explore new combinations, like Teck Resources. BHP's inability to buy Anglo, a copper company that would have helped cash flow and boosted the copper business, complicated the plan. The incentive to green the business is also lessened as corporations around the world retreat from environmental goals. This suggests that any further progress on this path could be a long way off. Another person said: "The strategy depends on copper and potassium being self-sustaining business, as both have large capital needs for the next five years." (Reporting and editing by Melanie Burton, Veronica Brown, and Barbara Lewis).
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Russia and Ukraine exchange new accusations over breaches of the energy ceasefire
On Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine both accused the other of launching attacks on each other's power plants in violation of an agreement brokered by the United States. Both sides claimed they would provide details of the alleged violation to the United States. This led to Moscow and Kyiv agreeing to a limited truce in hopes of a full ceasefire. The Russian defence ministry has said that Ukraine conducted drone and bombing attacks on the western Kursk area, which cut power to more than 1,500 households. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said that a Russian drone had hit an energy substation located in Sumy Region and that artillery shells damaged a powerline in Dnipropetrovsk. This cut off electricity for nearly 4,000 customers. The Trump administration is a sham. impatient Both sides should move more quickly to end the three-year conflict. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that the fact that Vladimir Putin agreed to the energy truce showed that he is serious about engaging in the peace process. Kyiv as well as some of Ukraine's European allies disagree. Peskov stated that Moscow will continue to work with the Americans, despite what Peskov called daily Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Zelenskiy stated on Tuesday that Russia is breaking the energy truce, and called for the U.S.A. to increase sanctions against Moscow as Trump had threatened to do. Last month, Ukraine stated that it was open to a 30-day full ceasefire. However, Putin refused to agree. This raised a number of questions regarding how the ceasefire would be monitored. There were also concerns that Ukraine might use this breathing space to mobilize more troops and purchase more weapons from Western countries.
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Copper edged ahead of US tariffs, while tin extended its rally
Investors awaited details on reciprocal tariffs in the United States, while tin prices rose to their highest level in almost three years due to supply concerns. The benchmark three-month price of copper on the London Metal Exchange was up by 0.2% to $9,711 per metric ton at 0953 GMT, after falling to its lowest level in three weeks, $9,668.50. On Wednesday, U.S. president Donald Trump is expected to announce sweeping new tariffs against global trading partners. This could lead to retaliation on all sides. He will announce the tariffs around 2000 GMT. Investors are uncertain and confused about the future. Tom Price, Panmure Liberum's head of commodities strategy, said that the main issue is tariffs, but there are also issues such as currency debasement, global conflict and confusion about central bank policies. Trump has already imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminium, and is expected add duties to copper imports. "Aluminium can give you a hint as to what copper will do." Price explained that the market has now entered the second phase where the demand is declining. LME aluminium fell 0.1% to $2.505 per ton. It had previously touched $2.491.50, its lowest level in almost three months, and was down about 9% during the last three weeks. LME tin rose 1.7% to reach $38,115 per ton, after reaching $38,395 at its highest since May 2022. This was due to fears of supply disruptions following the earthquake that struck tin-rich Myanmar on Friday. The price of tin on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 3.9%, to 297 590 yuan (US$40 938.48) per ton. Myanmar's Wa State is responsible for 70% of the tin produced in Myanmar. It is also the third largest producer in the world and a major supplier to China. Other metals include lead, which fell 0.6% at $1,980 per ton on the LME, zinc, which dropped 0.6% at $2,806, and nickel, down 0.1% to $16,090. ($1 = 7.2692 Chinese yuan renminbi)
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Lagarde, ECB president: Trump's tariffs are bad for the entire world
The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on the global economy will depend on their length, scope, and success in negotiations. This was the message from Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the Trump administration will announce "reciprocal duties" against nations that impose duties on U.S. products. The move comes after the Trump administration imposed new import duties on products from Mexico and Canada, as well as steel and automobiles. In an interview with Ireland's Newstalk radio, Lagarde stated that "it will be negative around the world and the density and durability of the effect will vary depending on scope, the products targeted and how long it will last, as well as whether there are any negotiations." "Because, let's remember quite often, those escalations in tariffs prove harmful, even to those who inflict them, leading people to sit down at the negotiation table and actually discuss and ultimately remove some of these barriers." Lagarde received a prize in Dublin named after Irishman Peter Sutherland. The former World Trade Organization Director General, Lagarde stated that Sutherland "would be in his grave" if he were to know what was going on today. She said, "I don’t think I’ve ever used the word uncertainty so many times in the past few weeks because we don’t know what the deal will be (with the U.S.)." Predictability is very scarce at the moment. Lagarde said that it was too early to tell what the impact would be on Europe's economy of increased defense spending. It will depend on where and how the money is spent. (Reporting and editing by Peter Graff, Ed Osmond and Padraic Halpin)
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Landmines and other peace initiatives are being worked on by rival Cypriot parties.
Leaders of Greek and Turkish Cyprus agreed to work together on Wednesday in order to remove landmines and take initiatives in the areas of climate change and the environment. This comes weeks after the U.N. announced the first significant progress in the talks about the future on the divided island in many years. Following a meeting, the United Nations mission to Cyprus released a joint statement by Nikos Christodoulides, the Greek Cypriot Cypriot leader and Ersin Tatar the Turkish Cypriot Cypriot. In a statement, it was revealed that the two communities who live on different sides of Cyprus also intend to create a technical committee in order to deal with youth issues. This is part of a package to build confidence between the two parties. After a short coup inspired by the Greeks, a Turkish invasion split Cyprus in 1974. This was after years of violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots that began almost immediately after Britain's independence in 1960. The island is the main source of disagreements between NATO allies Greece, and Turkey. In a statement, it was stated that the two sides engaged in a "constructive dialogue" about increasing the number civilian crossing points, and plans to build a solar farm within the buffer zone controlled by the U.N. In 2017, the reunification process collapsed and since then, efforts to restart a new peace process have been stagnant. Christodoulides, Tatar and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres met in Geneva for informal discussions two weeks ago. Guterres stated that progress was made for the very first time in many years. The Greek and Turkish Cypriots are still in disagreement over the details of any settlement, despite agreeing on confidence-building measures. Greek Cypriots are in favor of a federation as prescribed by U.N. Resolutions. Turkish Cypriots support a two-state settlement, arguing decades of failed talks have proved that a federal system is unworkable. (Reporting and editing by Alex Richardson; Reporting by Michele Kambas)
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Gold and stocks both rise ahead of Trump’s 'Liberation Day" tariffs
The stock market fell on Wednesday as investors worried about the risk of a global trade war intensifying. In recent weeks, investors have been focused on the new round reciprocal levies which the White House will announce at 2000 GMT on Wednesday. These are expected to go into effect immediately following the announcement. Trump has already imposed duties on autos, aluminium and steel, as well as increased duties on all Chinese goods. This has rattled the markets, with fears growing that a full-blown global trade war may trigger a sharp economic slowdown. The European markets were relatively quiet, with stock prices pointing lower and currencies and bond yields remaining stable. The STOXX 600 European benchmark fell 0.9% in one day. This was mainly due to declines in the pharmaceutical sector, which is a heavyweight. The volatility measures - which are often used as a proxy to measure investor anxiety - have increased, indicating the rush of traders at the last minute to hedge against large price swings in currencies, stocks, and bonds. Daiwa Capital's Chris Scicluna, an economist at the firm, said: "I doubt that what's announced today will be in place nine months from now because we're aware of negotiations." He said that it was difficult to predict the impact of the rate hikes, or any other changes in the stock market, on the economy. Wall Street's benchmark S&P and Nasdaq both ended the session higher, after earlier losing ground. The Dow ended a little lower. Futures on S&P 500 and Nasdaq declined by 0.3-0.4%. Investors hope for clarity and the beginning of the deal-making process. Tariffs are already affecting business sentiment and will likely lead to a drop in global economic activity over the next few months," said Ben Bennett of Legal & General Investment Management, Asia-Pacific Investment Strategist. SOFT DATA Investors are becoming increasingly concerned by signs such as rising prices, a slowing economy and cracks on the labour market. The data showed that U.S. manufacturing shrank in March, after two months of growth. A measure of inflation in the factory gates jumped to its highest level in almost three years due to rising concern over tariffs on imported products. The Labour Department reported on Tuesday that U.S. employment opportunities fell by 194,000 in February to 7.568 millions as tariff uncertainty dampened labour demand. The yield of the benchmark 10-year Treasury bill in the United States was up by 1 basis point to 4,168% after falling to 4,133% on February, its lowest level since April 4. The currency markets were quiet. The dollar fluctuated between $1.2916 and $1.0797. The dollar remained at 149.55 yen. But the focus will be on the tariff details. This is especially true after a report in a major media outlet said that Trump's advisers were considering a plan to raise duties by around 20% on nearly all products, instead of targeting specific countries or products. Chris Weston is the head of research for Pepperstone. He said, "We are heading into Trump's time to shine, with many already having deleveraged in order to run a neutral or flat position on equity, USD (dollar), and Treasuries." Gold, which is seen as a safe haven against economic and political turmoil, has risen 0.5%, to $3.125 per ounce. This is just a little below the record high of Tuesday. Gold is up 19% this year. This follows a gain of 27% in 2024, which was the best performance it had in a decade. Brent futures are down 0.5% at $74.06 per barrel while U.S. Crude Futures are down 0.6% at $70.77 per barrel. (Ankur Banerjee contributed additional reporting from Singapore; editing by Shri Navaratnam, Tomasz Janowski and Ankur Banerjee)
UNIQUE REPORT-' Sustainable' logging operations are clear-cutting Canada's climate-fighting forests
With its vast areas of forest, Canada has the most licensed sustainable timber operations of any nation, according to the not-for-profit companies that attest to the ecological stability of logging practices.
Such forestry-standards groups were born in the 1990s out of rage over tropical jungle damage. Today, they put their leafy seals of approval on toilet paper, two-by-fours and other wood and paper items to ensure eco-conscious customers and investors they were properly produced.
Yet research shows Canadian forests have actually seen a few of the world's biggest decreases in environmentally critical main and old-growth forests over the last 20 years, even as sustainability-certification programs grew to include almost all of Canada's logging.
To track damage of older forests in these accredited zones, Reuters evaluated forestry data in Ontario, a major logging province. The analysis found that about 30% of the licensed boreal forests harvested from 2016 to 2020 were at least 100 years of ages. That resulted in the loss of 377 square miles of these older forests, an area the size of New york city City and Washington D.C. integrated, the analysis found.
Canada's forests-- accounting for 9% of the world's total--. are considered important to including international warming. Ecological advocates have actually long pressed to end visiting. main or old-growth forests, which soak up far more. climate-damaging carbon than logged-and-replanted locations. Main. forests are those that reveal no sign of previous harvesting. They. can consist of old-growth areas-- some with trees hundreds or. thousands of years old-- however also fairly newer forests. that, for example, might have regrown after wildfires.
Forest-certification nonprofits have chosen to enable logging. of older forests through a host of concessions to industry. The. harvesting of such areas in Ontario came in spite of the reality that. 94% of the province's managed forests are certified by one of. the 2 dominant environmental-certification organizations in. Canada, the analysis found. Reuters analyzed satellite-derived. logging information, government forest-age quotes and. forest-certification maps to approximate the harvest of forests at. least 100 years of ages in Ontario's licensed zones.
Why the heck are they enabling logging-- licensed logging. -- in main forests that are over 100 years old? asked. Dominick DellaSala, a conservation biologist with ecological. group Wild Heritage who studies Canadian logging impacts. For. Canada to claim that it's doing sustainable management, it's. absurd. To put a certification seal of approval on it is more. disconcerting.
The quick loss of older Canadian forests highlights the. flaws of certification programs that have actually come under heavy. influence of the logging and forest-products industries, a. Reuters examination has discovered. The damage has come under the. watch of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the world's very first. such certification organization, founded in 1993 with. ecologist support; and the Sustainable Forestry. Effort (SFI), a competing established by a timber and. forest-products trade group the list below year.
This account is based upon the Reuters analysis of Ontario. forests, a review of numerous pages of FSC and SFI audits,. in addition to policy and method files, and interviews with 20. present or former FSC staff members or members and more than a. half-dozen researchers who study the environmental impacts of. Canadian logging.
In a declaration, FSC stated it has not fluctuated from its. original dedication to responsible forest management which. its certification requirements are robust and trustworthy. SFI said. its requirements are strong and constantly improving and that. its certification has actually ended up being a extremely relied on solution to the. growing demand for products from sustainably managed forests.
Neither company commented on the Reuters analysis or on. whether they thought about gathering large areas of century-old. forests to be sustainable.
The FSC and SFI accredit logging business' practices in. particular forests and examine consumer-product supply chains. Their seals of approval-- a leaf insignia for SFI, and a tree. with a checkmark for the FSC-- have actually ended up being essential to wood. and forest-products companies amidst rising pressure for ecological. stewardship.
But these business hold immense take advantage of over the big. forest-certification nonprofits, which depend heavily on the. market for funding through certification charges, Reuters found. And because its creation, the FSC has watered down its forestry. standards in action to the competitive threat posed by SFI and. other industry-friendly certifiers, according to. ecologists and more than a lots existing and previous FSC. staffers and members, who recommend the company on policy and. strategy.
Companies are totally free to choose which certifier to utilize,. permitting them to prevent those with stricter standards and providing. them influence to lobby all certifiers for permissive policies, stated. the FSC staffers and members.
Extensive accreditation of British Columbia lumber. operations over the previous two decades hasn't stopped the. disappearance of more than half of the province's old-growth. woodlands over that duration. Logging caused the large majority of. the decreases in the most significant old-growth trees storing one of the most. carbon, according to one 2021 study in the Canadian Journal of. Forest Research and another last year in the journal Frontiers. in Forests and Global Modification. Studies in 2009 and 2017 analyzed. areas of Quebec forests and discovered areas of forests. controlled by trees more than a century old had diminished to. in between 13% and 28% of the forest amid heavy logging. Without. logging, these older areas would account for in between 40% and. 68% of these forests, the scientists estimated.
Herb Hammond, an experienced forest ecologist, ran a British. Columbia not-for-profit company that carried out a few of Canada's. initially FSC audits in the late 1990s. He later on left the. organization, annoyed with what he described as too many. compromises with industry.
It's easy to pull the wool over people's eyes about what is. great forestry, he stated. Certification has ended up being a. little a pet's breakfast. It does not really suggest anything.
A 'CHESS RELOCATION'
Forestry certification has become common in the global. forest-products trade, assisting business such as Procter && . Gamble, Starbucks and Penguin Random Home appeal to. eco-conscious consumers and investors. Those three companies. decreased to comment.
The certifying trend began in the 1990s when environmental. organizations including Greenpeace, Buddies of the Earth and the. World Wildlife Fund helped release the FSC after stopping working to. safe forest-conservation promises from federal governments worldwide. They wished to incentivize business instead with a market-driven. system that branded items as sustainable, stimulating demand. from critical buyers. The FSC was established in 1993 with a. membership of organization, environmental and community. agents.
Still, lots of companies were wary of aligning with. environmentalists. The following year, the American Forest &&. Paper Association, a trade-group, started the SFI as an. industry-friendly alternative. The trade association said its. discussions about sustainable forestry began previously, in 1990,. and consisted of input from academics and preservation groups.
Competitors from the industry-backed SFI required the FSC to. reckon with how to preserve rigorous forestry standards while. hiring companies to certify, 10 present and former FSC. members stated. A 2002 FSC management report highlighted the need. to quickly increase the supply of qualified wood or run the risk of. losing out to an ever-increasing number of completing. accreditation schemes.
The FSC introduced an internal push to improve its market share. that led to compromises with market and weaker harvesting. limitations, according to FSC documents and the FSC members.
Compromising FSC requirements didn't stop the SFI's development,. nevertheless. The FSC accredited about 46 million hectares of Canadian. forests at the end of 2023, less than half the SFI's 119 million. hectares, according to the Forest Products Association of. Canada, a market group. Worldwide, the FSC accredits 160. million hectares compared to 295 million hectares by the. Programme for the Recommendation of Forest Accreditation (PEFC). The PEFC is a global company that oversees the SFI, which. covers The United States and Canada, and affiliated certifiers in other. areas.
Both the FSC and the SFI largely make it through on industry-paid. charges. FSC International reported in 2022 that such fees. accounted for 86% of its $58 million in annual earnings. The SFI. derived 77% of its $12 million in profits from such fees,. according to its 2022 tax return.
Some ecological groups and supporters, while acknowledging. the FSC's drawbacks, continue to view the organization as the. best option amongst imperfect alternatives. Jen Skene, a policy. director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said FSC. certification represents a minimum standard.
FSC is the most reputable certification system out there,. she said, while adding that it must be deemed a floor, not. a ceiling for sustainability standards.
FSC told Reuters it had actually not damaged requirements in action. to SFI competition. Instead, FSC said, the competition has prompted. it to improve and fine-tune its certification process to make sure. it stays the gold requirement for responsible forestry.
SFI said competition among certifiers does not exert a. down pressure on requirements but rather promotes continuous. improvement. The PEFC stated it allows regional groups including. the SFI to develop their own standards, which the PEFC said. adds to long-lasting commitment to sustainable forest. management practices.
Though some corporations prefer FSC-certified wood, few. clients understand the difference among accrediting groups and their. labels.
Peter Wood, a forestry speaker at the University of British. Columbia who has served on FSC-rulemaking committees, called the. SFI's creation a chess move.
The industry wished to take the power far from FSC, and it. worked, he stated. Now, everything is certified.
RACE TO THE BOTTOM
FSC's early standards highlighted the need to safeguard main. and old-growth forests. One pivotal provision read: Main. forests ... will be conserved. Such areas shall not be replaced. by tree plantations or other land usages.
However business grumbled the policy was too limiting and. difficult to enforce, said Grant Rosoman, a Greenpeace forests. advisor and former FSC International board member.
FSC members spent years disputing policy changes and in 1999. eliminated requirements to save primary forests. Rather, the. FSC adopted a more subjective requirement to safeguard forests. with high preservation value, based upon an intricate matrix of. ecological, financial and cultural qualities.
That unclear language, still in effect, gives business broad. impact over which forests get approved for protection. It has likewise. spawned a market of specialists-- hired and paid by. forest-products companies-- to perform studies determining which. forests have high conservation value, according to FSC audits. and six current and former FSC members.
Rosoman of Greenpeace was among the FSC's members who. approved the language at the time. He now regrets it, believing. its subjectivity allowed damage of critical forests. The. continued logging of main forests and old-growth forests was. never ever dealt with, he stated.
FSC acknowledged that its rules enable accredited logging in. such areas but said the high conservation worth designation aims. to ensure such harvesting is performed with the greatest level. of analysis and duty.
In another significant concession, FSC in 2004 presented the FSC. Mix system, which created a brand-new label for products including. up to 30% wood from non-certified sources.
The relocation came after pressure from pulp-and-paper companies. consisting of Klabin of Brazil, SCA of Sweden and Mondi of South. Africa, along with book publishers and furniture makers,. stated Rosoman, who took part in the negotiations.
Mondi did not comment. SCA said it might not address its. role at the time due to the fact that the business has actually since been divided into. 2 firms. Klabin did not address concerns on whether the. business affected the FSC Mix guidelines. However it said the label. alleviated the logistical concern of separating wood from certified. and non-certified sources, a view echoed by SCA.
FSC Mix has given that become the certification group's dominant. label, accounting for more than three-fourths of the FSC-product. trade, according to a 2017 FSC paper. The paper added that FSC. Mix was the main source of income for the operating costs of. FSC.
The FSC informed Reuters it does not know what portion of. FSC-certified items use the Mix label today. The label, it. said, helps business shift to more sustainable. practices.
FSC Mix guidelines provide companies wide latitude to use the label. Some consumer-products companies are enabled to put the Mix label on. products that contain no FSC-certified material at all because. the FSC gives them credit for certified content in other. items they offer.
The SFI likewise offers a label-- SFI Licensed Sourcing--. that makes no assurances that items contain any wood from. licensed forests, so long as business meet certain other. conditions.
Phil Guillery, a previous FSC United States board member and. supply chain stability director, stated permitting uncertified wood. into the FSC system brought a lot more timber and forest-products. companies into the organization and gave them more influence.
They understood and learned about the politics of FSC, and. they became extremely effective, he said.
Wood, the University of British Columbia lecturer, served on. 2 FSC groups that starting in 2011 attempted to revamp what. internal critics had actually called a weak system of company. self-assessments to guarantee their FSC Mix products did not. contain wood from undesirable sources, such as unlawfully. gathered forests. The guidelines modifications took eight years in a. procedure that was greatly affected by market, he said.
The FSC informed Reuters the procedure resulted in a considerable. reinforcing of rules governing non-certified wood. Wood had a. various take, stating the limitless deliberations did little to. screen out problematic sources of timber. He called his. involvement a horrible experience.
I just wished to turn away from the whole project, he. stated, and alert people: 'Don't trust it.'
QUALIFIED FOREST DESTRUCTION
Environmentalists slam the FSC but normally take a. harsher view of the SFI, mentioning its founding by a market. group and weaker forestry requirements.
The SFI disagreements that it serves just industry interests,. informing Reuters its standards show input from a varied group. of collaborators including ecologists on its board.
Environmental groups consisting of the Sierra Club, Stand.earth. and the Natural Resources Defense Council state the impact of the. SFI's industry-friendly method is clear in British Columbia,. where the organization has actually dominated accreditation.
The province, a showcase of Canada's raw beauty and diverse. ecosystems, has seen old-growth forests decrease by more than 50%. over the last twenty years, according to the 2021 and 2023. studies. A subset of highly productive old-growth woodlands--. forests with the largest trees saving the most carbon, and also. the most attractive to logging companies-- has declined by an. approximated 85%.
The SFI became the certifier of choice in British Columbia. largely due to the fact that market viewed the FSC's early guidelines as too. burdensome, said Karen Tam Wu, an FSC specialist during the 2000s.
The wood market and Canada's government share in the. logging wealth. Canada's forests are normally on public land,. which implies provincial federal governments get a cut of the profits from. every dropped tree. In British Columbia, that amounted to more than. $ 7.3 billion over the decade ending in March of this year,. according to the province's forest ministry.
British Columbia in 2020 revealed a strategy to protect its. decreasing old-growth forests after years of public pressure. A. year later on, authorities launched maps revealing at-risk areas where. it required a deferral of logging. But the federal government never ever. barred visiting those zones, instead leaving it to industry. discretion.
Some significant companies picked instead to continue harvesting,. including Vancouver-based Canfor Corp, an international timber-and-pulp. manufacturer.
Canfor in 2022 whacked about 3,700 acres of old-growth. forest the federal government had recommended for deferral of logging,. according to satellite images analysis from Stand.earth. The. provincial federal government stated previously this year that more than. 50,000 acres of old-growth forest had been gathered in areas it. sought to protect.
BC's Ministry of Forests stated it is not seeking to end all. old-growth logging which harvesting in some areas is. possible and essential to support regional, sustainable tasks. while safeguarding forests.
SFI certified Canfor's large western Canada operations in. 2019, 2021, 2022 and again last year. None of the openly. launched audit summaries ever discussed the cutting of. old-growth forests. Significant auditing firm KPMG, which conducted. the evaluations, had no remark.
Nothing in SFI's standards would have avoided logging of. old-growth forests.
SFI said old-growth-forest harvesting in British Columbia is. contentious, including settlements among governments,. industry and indigenous communities. It said its standards. require compliance with all appropriate laws.
Canfor stated it is dealing with native groups,. neighborhoods and government to review old-growth management and. look for input into our proposed harvesting.
' LIKE PRINTING CASH'
Logging companies' capability to select their own watchdogs. poses the biggest barrier to promoting high sustainability. standards, environmental advocates said.
The auditing structure all but assurances logging business. can get certified, said Simon Counsell, who was an FSC starting. member while with the not-for-profit group Pals of the Earth. He's. now an FSC critic.
There's a clear, vested financial interest for the. auditor, since giving FSC accreditations leads to more. auditing opportunities, Counsell said. It's like printing. cash.
The FSC stated it prevents conflicts of interest by outsourcing. evaluations and accreditation to independent auditors who take a look at. business' forestry practices and are paid by the firms being. accredited. The companies, it said, pay a separate yearly. administration charge based upon their forest-products profits that. goes to the FSC after being collected by the auditor.
In one example of industry impact over sustainability. audits, a significant Canadian wood company, Resolute Forest. Products, defeated an effort in 2014 to remove its FSC. certification in a western Ontario forest by taking legal action against and. eventually shooting its auditor.
Resolute for many years dealt with charges from researchers and. environmentalists that its clear-cuts in the FSC-certified Black. Spruce Forest had actually decimated environment for threatened forest. caribou. As early as 2012, auditors at the Rain forest Alliance,. a nonprofit employed by Resolute, found the lumber company failed. to fulfill FSC habitat-protection requirements. Another 2013. Jungle Alliance audit took a look at grievances from ecological. groups that Resolute's logging will lead to the extirpation of. caribou from the Black Spruce Forest.
Auditors suspended Resolute's accreditation in January 2014,. mentioning a failure to satisfy FSC forest-protection requirements. In. May 2014, Resolute sued the Rain forest Alliance and its. auditors, personally, calling their reviews flawed and biased. The company sought $400,000 in damages. It likewise asked for an. injunction obstructing the audit's public release, which an Ontario. court gave. The suit noted that accreditation was. important to Resolute's service design.
The suit was settled in 2015, with the alliance concurring. to designate brand-new auditors to renovate Resolute's unfavorable evaluation. The. follow-up audit discovered Resolute satisfied FSC requirements and had. dealt with the problems from the earlier audit.
Chris Wedeles, one of the original auditors Resolute sued,. said he was disappointed that the new auditors examined the. very same evidence and pertained to a different conclusion.
The Rainforest Alliance renewed Resolute's certification. Undaunted dumped the alliance anyway, moving its auditing. business in 2016 to SAI Global, which has re-certified the. business every year because.
After the settlement, Resolute's then-CEO Richard Garneau. told FSC's global director general in a 2015 letter that. the firm would take out of FSC unless the certifier dealt with. the business's grievances about burdensome FSC requirements. A. leading Undaunted executive was chosen to FSC Canada's board in 2021. and continues to serve today.
Resolute did not respond to questions about its forestry. practices or its claim but said it supports the highest. standards in forestry management.
SAI Global, Garneau and the Rainforest Alliance, which no. longer carries out FSC forestry audits, declined to comment.
The FSC stated it was not associated with the conflict in between. Resolute and its auditor which it wasn't affected to change. its standards by Garneau's 2015 letter. FSC indicated current. suspensions of certifications in Quebec as evidence of its. dedication to protect caribou.
Meanwhile, problems with caribou in the Black Spruce Forest. continue.
In 2020 and 2021, SAI Global auditors found that Resolute. might not corroborate the effectiveness of its. caribou-conservation plan. The auditors dealt with the matter,. however, after an Undaunted specialist argued that logging would. decrease to a level that could sustain caribou populations--. though not until 2039.
BULLDOZING FORESTS FOR OIL
One of the world's largest stretches of certified forests is. in northern Alberta, where the FSC has actually accepted the logging. practices of Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
. Over the last twenty years, about 878,000 acres of these. woodlands, a location more than twice the size of Los Angeles, have. been set aside to make way for oil companies to operate open-pit. mines, drilling websites and pipelines in Canada's oil sands. The. oil exploration involves clear-cutting and bulldozing the. forest. Some ecologists consider it one of the world's. most devastating industrial tasks.
Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries holds logging rights to. the forest, that includes old-growth forests, according to. company disclosures and ecological research studies. A clause in the. business's contract with Alberta permits regulators to designate. chunks of the woods for oil-and-gas development.
When that happens, the FSC allows Alberta-Pacific to do a. carve-out: eliminating the FSC certification from the land significant. for oil advancement, while keeping accreditation for the. surrounding forest. The plan has actually enabled Alberta-Pacific. to maintain accreditation in the area since 2005 despite the. oil-related damage.
FSC said it motivates qualified firms to participate in. dialogue and utilize their impact to impact land-use decisions. such as oil-and-gas advancement. But the company said such. choices are outside of FSC's direct accreditation scope and. are governed by provincial and national laws.
Alberta-Pacific said it is proud to have actually been FSC-certified. considering that 2005 which it has a goal of maintaining biodiversity. and other forest values. It said FSC's policies allow. carve-outs for oil development because the resulting. ecological effects are beyond the full control of. Alberta-Pacific.
Alberta-Pacific earns money from the oil development: Under. a contract with Alberta, it receives settlement from. oil-and-gas firms for the ruined forests. It can likewise offer. wood from forests cleared for oil mining under the FSC Mix. label, FSC audits program.
Some of the oil is extracted through surface area mining, a. procedure that needs the forest to be bulldozed and removed of. vegetation and soil to make way for pits that can be numerous. feet deep.
The mining is completely unsustainable, said Barry Robinson,. an Alberta ecological attorney who has specialized in. oil-and-gas problems. It will be generations before it ever grows. trees once again.
(source: Reuters)