Coldplay, Sting, Robyn + more come together for climate change law

22 November 2022 - Press release

Barbra Streisand, Coldplay, Brian Eno, Sting, Bryan Adams, Robyn, Adam McKay, Jason Momoa, Dame Emma Thompson, David Gilmour among artists calling on EU leaders to keep historic deforestation law strong

 

Barbra Streisand, Coldplay, Jason Momoa, Sting, Brian Eno, Robyn, Adam McKay, Bryan Adams and over 50 entertainment industry stars have come together with ClientEarth, a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth, to urge European Union leaders to adopt a bold and ambitious law to tackle global deforestation as crucial negotiations on the new rules progress.

Prominent musicians, actors, artists, directors and activists from across the world have signed an open letter to EU lawmakers, standing with over one million European citizens who support a strong law. The statement calls on leaders to seize the opportunity presented by the legislation to set the world on a path to a deforestation-free future.

Actors Bill Pullman, Dame Emma Thompson, Jane Fonda, Lisa Bonet, Matteo Simoni, Malin Akerman and Wagner Moura are among the signatories of the letter, as well as music legends Brian Eno, Bryan Adams, Sting and Robyn, and activists Txai Surui, Neidinha Bandeira and Prigi Arisandi.

The statement says: “We stand with those calling for a strong new law that guarantees deforestation, forest degradation and human rights abuses do not have a place in our supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, and communities. We don’t accept the brutal violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who fight with their lives to protect precious forests, for the sake of more cattle ranches or monoculture plantations.

“We need all EU leaders to come together and adopt a strong and ambitious law that protects both forests and the Indigenous and local communities fighting to defend them.” The European Parliament voted in resounding favour of an ambitious law in September. It is now negotiating the final text with the European Council and European Commission, with a final version expected beforethe end of this year.

“This law matters deeply to all of us. Forests are crucial for the planet and one of our best solutions to climate change, and Indigenous Peoples their best protectors. Nothing short of a bold and ambitious new EU law will help us in the race to avoid irreversible climate change and safeguard irreplaceable biodiversity,” the statement says, which is supported by ClientEarth, Artists for Amazonia, and the Together Forests coalition. 

The deforestation-free products law will require companies to pinpoint where their products originate and ensure that they are not linked to nature destruction if they want to sell them on the EU market. It will apply to products that are at high risk of deforestation, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, and wood.

Recent polling shows more than 80 percent of Europeans support the deforestation-free law and for lawmakers to strengthen critical parts of the bill that are currently up for debate.

Provisions to be debated include requiring companies to stop selling products that destroy critical ecosystems, cause forest degradation, or violate the land rights of Indigenous Peoples, and obligations on EU member states to consistently check whether companies follow the rules.