DEFORESTATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A LEGAL ANALYSIS OF CARBON EMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES

Abstract

Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change because it reduces Earth’s ability to take up greenhouse gases and increases carbon emissions. Forests act as carbon sinks that store large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). But when forests are destroyed, this carbon is released into the atmosphere, adding to global warming. The legal implications of carbon emissions resulting from deforestation at corporate, national, and international levels. It looks at critical legal tools, including the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). It also looks at domestic laws on deforestation in major forest nations like Brazil and Indonesia, finding gaps in how they are enforced and obeyed. In sectors such as mining, logging, and agriculture, where profit makes money more important than preservation, regulation is complex. Large companies also help drive deforestation through their investments and supply chain operations, often escaping responsibility. There is a need for more substantial legal architecture, as evidenced by the rising tide of climate lawsuits against businesses and financial institutions involved in deforestation. The report also examines the links between human rights abuses, including the displacement of indigenous people and deforestation. Illegal logging and large-scale agricultural expansion are depleting resources and destroying lands for many of the world’s forest-dependent peoples. While global human rights organizations favor more substantial legislative protections, implementation remains lacking. Using a doctrinal legal research method, this study assesses the effectiveness of existing laws and policies by systematically analyzing primary and secondary legal materials. The findings showed that current legislative tools are inadequate to cut carbon emissions associated with deforestation. The paper proposes stronger enforcement measures, stricter corporate accountability, and legal reforms as a solution to this consequence. It also emphasizes the importance of embedding Indigenous rights in conservation efforts so that a fairer, more sustainable way of protecting forests is put in place.