Why rainforest destruction is bad

One of the biggest causes of forest loss in Brazil is to grow soy beans, much of which goes to China and Europe for animal feed for pigs and chickens, said Dr Sizer. It's a very serious problem that we're all connected with.

Trees are one of our major defences in a warming world. They suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, acting as so-called carbon sinks. They absorb around one third of global CO2 emitted each year. Under present targets, the world is on track for warming of 2. Currently an area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute. Depleted forests can also start to release CO2. If too many trees are cut down, scientists are worried that the planet will reach a tipping point that will set off abrupt and unpredictable climatic change.

The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control.

Almost countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. Can COP26 really save the planet? Four numbers to remember. Behind the scenes at COP Was Biden just resting his eyes?

Image source, Getty Images. Trees are often cut down to create grazing land to feed the world's hunger for meat. Should there be limits on meat eating? And more questions 'We need water and there is water, but the wrong sort' Success or failure: Five people who get to decide. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A logger, an environmental policeman, a cattle rancher and an environmentalist share their views on Amazon's future.

Hope and challenges ahead. But there are significant challenges. What was the failed agreement? The New York Declaration on Forests was a voluntary and legally non-binding agreement on deforestation in It aimed to half deforestation by , and halt it by - and 40 governments eventually signed up. But some key countries like Brazil and Russia weren't among them But the agreement failed, a report in found , saying deforestation was still continuing at an alarming rate.

COP26 climate summit - The basics. Climate change is one of the world's most pressing problems. Governments must promise more ambitious cuts in warming gases if we are to prevent greater global temperature rises. The summit in Glasgow is where change could happen. Here are four devastating truths about deforestation and three ways you can help prevent it. Although exact statistics are difficult to determine, the World Resources Institute reported over 2.

When these forests are destroyed, global climate is put in jeopardy, the wildlife within is displaced and communities lose access to resources. Land is often cleared through slash-and-burn farming to create fields for commercial agricultural development, palm oil production, soy fields or cattle ranches. Methods like these are a major driver of wildfires in rainforests, like the ones that occurred in For example, FAO states that one-quarter of all modern medicines are derived from rainforest plants.

If these tropical forests are destroyed, we not only lose some of our most critical species, but also the potential for discovery of many others. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration estimates that the trees in the Amazon contain more than 10 years worth of human generated greenhouse gases. Waste from these products eventually collects in landfills, which release harmful greenhouse gases into the. Agricultural development is a driving force of deforestation, there are several ways you can mitigate this in your everyday life.

While individual change is critical, together, we can bolster our impact for a healthier planet. Donate to one of the many organizations that work tirelessly to defend our planet against deforestation, biodiversity loss and the climate crisis. Rainforest Trust has projects across the globe that protect the most threatened habitats on Earth. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.

Read More. Do not sell my personal information. More in Our Impact. Millions of acres are destroyed Although exact statistics are difficult to determine, the World Resources Institute reported over 2. Some of that money should go to tropical forest protection. In addition, a new UN-backed mechanism called Redd reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation has been initiated that involves rich countries paying countries to protect forests and the carbon stored within them.

Tropical and sub-tropical countries could receive both public and private funding if they succeed in reducing their emissions from deforestation. But this is deeply controversial as global schemes are prone to corruption, difficult to implement and hard to measure.

If there is money to protect forests, will it go to big companies as subsidy, or lead to evictions of people and human rights abuses? The World Bank plans to contribute a similar amount to work with African countries. A further fund is intended to benefit indigenous and other forest communities which have been the traditional protectors of the forest.

Until Paris, stopping tropical deforestation was at best unlikely and probably impossible. It remains very difficult, but a political and financial mechanism has now been created to incentivise countries, companies and communities to do so at a fraction of the cost of reducing comparable emissions in the US or Europe. Protecting the forests now depends on rich governments not ducking their responsibilities and playing their part.

Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. This article is more than 4 years old.