Res. No. 447

Resolution calling on the New York State legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.6872A/S.5921A, the New York Deforestation-Free Procurement Act.

By Council Members Menin, Louis, Avilés, Marte, Gennaro and Richardson Jordan

Whereas, Tropical forests encompass over six percent of the Earth’s surface and harbor approximately 50 percent of all species on Earth; and

Whereas, Boreal forests, those located in northern regions, represent nearly 30 percent of the global forests and help regulate the Earth’s climate through energy and water exchange and serve as a large reservoir of biogenic carbon; and

Whereas, An Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report released in 2019 indicates that the Earth’s natural landscapes are being transformed drastically by human alteration, so much so that nearly one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, posing a massive threat to ecosystems that the world depends on; and

Whereas, The IPBES report further indicates that the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has decreased by approximately 20 percent since 1900, three-quarters of the land-based environments have been significantly altered by human actions, and land degradation has reduced the productivity of 23 percent of the global land surface; and

Whereas, According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately 18 million acres of forest are destroyed each year, further threatening ecosystems globally; and  

Whereas, One of the largest contributors to tropical deforestation is associated with land clearing for the industrial-scale production of agricultural commodities, while a leading cause of boreal forest degradation is industrial logging to produce single-use tissue products, newsprint and lumber; and

Whereas, Deforestation, if continued at the current pace, will ensure that the Earth’s tropical rainforests will be dramatically degraded or destroyed over the next 100 years; now, therefore, be it

Whereas, A.6872A, sponsored by New York State Assemblymember Kenneth P. Zebrowski, currently pending in the New York State Assembly, and companion bill S.5921A, sponsored by New York State Senator Liz Krueger, currently pending in the New York State Senate, known as the Deforestation-Free Procurement Act, seeks to require that companies who contract with the state do not contribute to tropical or boreal intact forest degradation or deforestation directly or through their supply chains; and

Whereas, A.6872A/S.5921A would tighten an existing ban on the use of tropical hardwoods for government construction projects by expanding the list of covered tree species and by removing certain exemptions, and requiring state contractors who sell forest-risk commodities to certify that their products do not contribute to deforestation; and

Whereas, The Deforestation-Free Procurement Act would ensure that New York State government procurement does not contribute to tropical or boreal deforestation; and

                     Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.6872A/S.5921A, the New York Deforestation-Free Procurement Act.

PM

LS# 10744

11/28/2022