Implications for the Private Sector of Non-Carbon Effects of Tropical Deforestation

This Summary for Policymakers oriented off of the Not Just Carbon report and makes the case that companies and financiers involved in forest-risk commodity supply chains should take into account the material risks posed by the biophysical effects of deforestation on climate. These effects include disruptions to rainfall patterns from local to regional scales and increases in average and extreme local temperatures that affect both agricultural productivity and heat stress exposure for agricultural workers.

The brief recommends that companies not only redouble their efforts to remove deforestation from supply chains and financial portfolios, but suggests that they should also invest in research for improved spatial analysis of deforestation’s non-carbon effects on local climate and engage in collaborative initiatives at larger spatial scales.