Linking forests, energy and livelihoods can help achieve SDGs

New York – More integrated approaches between forests, energy and livelihoods can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, according to a joint brief published today by the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, FAO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations and the United Nations Development Programme.

Forests, Energy and Livelihoods aims to inform discussions at a hybrid global event on 4 April 10.00 EDT at UNHQ in New York, convened today by the Bureau of the 18th session of the UNFF and ahead of the UN General Assembly Summit on Sustainable Development Goals in September.

“Particularly given the current global economic situation, the prospect of a global recession and increased energy and commodity prices, it is vital to recognize the role of forests and sustainable management of forests in achieving sustainable development,” the four organizations say in the brief.

“Forests provide solutions for addressing many developmental challenges. More than 1.6 billion people worldwide strongly depend on forests for food, medicine, fuel and for their livelihoods.”

Close coordination

The brief sets out an overview of global trends on forests, energy and livelihoods and how they are connected. It explains that for the first time, the global Human Development Index value has declined for two years in a row and the number of people affected by hunger rose to over 800 million in 2021, an increase of about 150 million since 2020.

It calls for coordination and compromises among policy- and decision-makers, in close cooperation with all stakeholders. It also calls for coherent, holistic and integrated policy, governance, technical and financial measures that involve both the public and private sectors to maximise the multiple benefits of forests to people and the planet and to minimise trade-offs and harmful consequences.

It is estimated that about half of the wood extracted from forests is burnt as fuel for energy uses, with the highest share of around 90 percent in Africa. Woodfuels are traditionally used for cooking and heating by more than 2 billion people worldwide.

More than 2.4 billion people are still using inefficient and polluting cooking systems, which generate harmful household air pollution responsible for an estimated 3.2 million premature deaths in 2020 according to the World Health Organization. If current trends continue, only 76 percent of the global population will have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies by 2030.

Deforestation has begun to slow down in recent years but still 10 million hectares of forest were converted to other land uses every year in 2015-2020. At this rate, achieving the SDG15 target of halting deforestation will take another 25 years.

Focus on integrated approaches

The UNFF Bureau-led event, entitled Building on the nexus of forests, energy and livelihoods to accelerate achievement of the SDGs, comes as the global communities faces multiple complex crises including poverty, inequality, global warming, biodiversity loss and extreme weather events caused by climate change. These crises have been exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global growth prospects have weakened significantly amid these crises, which have raised energy, food and commodity prices and disrupted supply chains and global trade. 

With a particular focus on the contribution forests can make to wood-based bioenergy, the event will discuss the pros and cons of bioenergy, the means to address its negative impacts and ensure access to efficient, clean bioenergy while reversing deforestation and forest degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change and improving livelihoods.

In preparation for the September UN Summit, the event aims to showcase the nexus between forests, energy and livelihoods and encourage sharing of ideas on how to promote more integrated policy actions to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, most notably SDG1 on ending poverty, SDG2 on ending hunger and SDG 7 on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.