Agriculture is responsible for one third of climate change, largely due to eight particularly bad commodities. One of these is cocoa. Cocoa drives deforestation all over the world, especially in West Africa where it destroys precious rainforests. Cocoa farming is also responsible for slavery, trafficking, and other rights abuses. Around 1.5 million children work on cocoa and 96% are in hazardous child labor. Most farmers make under $1 per day. If we all demand sustainable practices from chocolate producers and eat only deforestation-free, traceable, agroforestry chocolate, we can preserve forests and protect farmers, guaranteeing millions of kids a better future.
Author: Etelle Higonnet
French-American lawyer and activist, fighting for human rights and for the environment. She’s previously worked at Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, UNICEF, Greenpeace, and Mighty Earth, and has just joined the National Wildlife Federation as Senior Advisor. Etelle focuses on ending deforestation in commodity agriculture and has led a major global campaign to transform the world’s cocoa industry, to end deforestation and embrace agroforestry as well as traceability.