2023 Earth Day & EU Deforestation Regulation

So much happening this week!

‘The Big One’: a major four-day climate protest starting today in London. The latest reports are 30,000 to 50,000 will gather outside the Houses of Parliament this weekend requesting that the UK government stop all new fossil fuel searches immediately, and requesting that the government establish ‘emergency citizens’ assemblies.’

Eid al-Firt: we are at our office next to Whitechapel today (we are running a training with our Advisory Partner Nora Wolters with us today from Germany - welcome Nora!). There is so much excitement and joy here in the streets (context for those not from the UK: we are right next to the East London Mosque). So may your Eid be full of love, laughter and light. ✨

Earth Day: “For Earth Day 2023, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.” Find out more about Earth Day here. 🌎

And of course, loads of legal developments this week, with the European Parliament approving the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and the internal agreement by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the corporate sustainability due diligence directive - in short, excluding the downstream use of products or services from the directive’s scope. See more here. 🌲

And to conclude with some watching recommendations:

• A close friend and colleague said to me last year: “I’m sure you’re not the one to binge-watch Anna.” My response: “Do you know me at all?” I have just watched all of the episodes of Extrapolations (on Apple TV), in less than 5 days. I can’t recommend it highly enough - thank you to a number of you who recommended it to me, and I’m now recommending it to you all! It puts into story all that we know from the science reports, in such a human way. So well done, and lovely to see Hollywood stars take this topic on. 🙏

• Everyone this week is talking about this video by Make My Money Matter - I won’t say more - just watch until the end and you’ll get it.

• Have you ever wondered what are human rights in the first place? Here is our video - and the second one on human rights and companies comes out next week. Subscribe to our Youtube channel to be the first to know - probably even before we do since we have a great team supporting our endeavour behind the scenes!

See you next week, Anna