Barbra Streisand has joined forces with a host of other celebrities to urge European Union (EU) leaders to tackle deforestation.
The 80-year-old icon has teamed up with the likes of Coldplay, Jason Momoa, Sting, Adam McKay, Bryan Adams, Dame Emma Thompson, Jane Fonda and Lisa Bonet to apply pressure to EU leaders, who are facing calls to adopt a bold law to fight global deforestation.
A statement signed by musicians, actors, artists and directors reads: “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 mono-culture 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 celebrities have united with ClientEarth, a non-profit organisation that seeks to protect the Earth, in a bid to achieve their ambition.
The European Parliament already voted in favour of the law in September, and the European Council and European Commission are now negotiating the final text.
The statement – which is supported by ClientEarth, Artists for Amazonia, and the Together Forests coalition – adds: “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 movement also has the backing of the wider public, with research showing that more than 80 percent of Europeans support the deforestation-free law.
