NEW!! After COP26; an agreement to deal with deforestation reached by world leaders

The pledge to protect environment and forests comes as more than 120 world leaders gathered in Glasgow to make new pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite fears that important countries have failed to do so.

As part of a huge multinational package to combat sentient greenhouse gas emissions, world government has pledged to a pact that seeks to halt and reverse worldwide deforestation throughout the next decade.

Joe Biden, Jair Bolsonaro and Xi Jinping were among the global leaders who signed the agreement on Tuesday at Cop26 in Glasgow, pledging to safeguard huge ecosystems ranging from the eastern Siberian tundra to the Rift valley, which is home to the world's second biggest rainforest.

Presidents and prime ministers from significant suppliers and users of deforestation-linked products will sign the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forest and Land Use, pledging to conserve forest ecosystems.

Human-caused land clearance accounts for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the degradation of the forest ecosystems for agricultural commodities like oil palm, soybean, and beef playing a major role.

The agreement was unveiled by UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson in front of US President Joe Biden, the Prince of Wales, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. He stated: "These huge teeming ecosystems — these temples of nature – are the lungs of our world," he is likely to declare. Forests provide for communities, livelihoods, and food security, as well as absorbing the carbon we emit into the atmosphere. They are necessary for our survival."

If the summit fails, future generations would "judge us with bitterness," Johnson said during a day of remarks by presidents and prime ministers that highlighted the magnitude of the problems ahead. Other significant events included:

¶ The Queen, Elizabeth urged politicians to "rise beyond the politics of the time, and attain true statesmanship" in a recorded message. "Of course, the advantages of such activities will not be available to all of us here today: none of us will live forever," she continued. But we're doing it for our children, our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps, not for ourselves." 

¶  President Biden emphasized that the negotiations needed to be more urgent: "Right now, we're falling short." We don't have time to wait, sit on the fence, or dispute amongst ourselves."

¶ India has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2070. Despite the fact that it is the first occasion the third biggest carbon emitters has set this goal, and analysts think it is a realistic pledge, it is 20 years behind the 2050 deadline set by other industrialized countries.

The agreement includes a vow by CEOs to end deforestation-related activities and £1.5 billion in financing for forests from the UK government. With a proposed £1.1 billion budget for the west African rainforests, £350 million will go to Indonesia and £200 million to the Congo basin.

For recovering soil from erosion, helping indigenous people, conserving forests, and minimizing wildfire damages, the package also comprises £5.3 billion in additional private capital and £8.75 billion in governmental assistance.

States and donors will give at least £1.25 billion to individuals and communities for their participation in forest protection, according to a supplementary statement.

The deforestation agreements are an early gain for the UK, which, as host country, is responsible for building a quorum among the almost 200 countries in attendance, amid concerns that an overall agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the 45 percent necessary this decade will fall short.

While conservationists and forest governance specialists have tentatively applauded the forestry accord, they refer to prior agreements to safeguard forests that have so far failed to stem their degradation, including one in 2014. This time, though, the EU, China, and the United States will sign the agreement alongside significant forested countries such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Papua New Guinea.

However, the monies promised fall well short of what others say is required. Mina Setra, an aboriginal rights activist from Borneo, said, "We are undervalued and our rights are still not respected." "It's not enough to make a statement. We need proof, not just rhetoric."

Will action come in, or will the unnecessary taIking continue?