Deforestation

Deforestation: proposed EU import ban may fail to protect tropical rainforests and farmers – here’s how it should work

Deforestation: proposed EU import ban may fail to protect tropical rainforests and farmers – here’s how it should work: Many of the products we buy are linked to deforestation. Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock Most European consumers’ shopping baskets tend to include items linked to deforestation in tropical regions, involving agricultural commodities such as beef, soybeans, palm oil, cocoa, …

Zero deforestation in the Amazon is now possible – here’s what needs to happen

Zero deforestation in the Amazon is now possible – here’s what needs to happen: Jair Bolsonaro has been defeated in the Brazilian election against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (“Lula”) to the rejoicing of scientists, environmentalists, and human rights activists in Brazil and beyond. What happens in South America’s largest country is globally significant since, …

Deforestation is causing more storms in west Africa, finds 30-year satellite study

Deforestation is causing more storms in west Africa, finds 30-year satellite study: Deforestation in Sierra Leone, 2013. fivepointsix / shutterstock We know that forests are crucial to fighting global climate change, but another important and perhaps less appreciated aspect is the way they affect the climate on a much more local scale. Our research shows …

Indigenous lands have less deforestation than state-managed protected areas in most of tropics

Indigenous lands have less deforestation than state-managed protected areas in most of tropics: The world lost more than 12 million hectares of tropical forest in 2020, an area about half the size of the UK. Tropical forests contain much of the world’s animal and plant species and store more than half of its terrestrial carbon. …

Brazil signs agreement to halt deforestation – but Bolsonaro cannot be trusted

Brazil signs agreement to halt deforestation – but Bolsonaro cannot be trusted: On the second day of COP26 – the UN climate negotiations in Glasgow – the world celebrated an announcement made by leaders from 124 countries. In the Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, world leaders boldly pledged “to halt and reverse forest …

Deforestation: why COP26 agreement will struggle to reverse global forest loss by 2030

Deforestation: why COP26 agreement will struggle to reverse global forest loss by 2030: More than 100 world leaders meeting at COP26 – the UN climate summit in Glasgow – have committed to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. The countries that have signed the agreement contain 85% of the world’s forests. The announcement includes £14 …

Why tackling deforestation is so important for slowing climate change

Why tackling deforestation is so important for slowing climate change: Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock Humanity injects an almost incomprehensible 42 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO?) into the atmosphere every year. The majority of this comes from burning fossil fuels, but a substantial portion, about 16%, arises from how we use the land. Most of these land-use …

Amazon: regrowing forests have offset less than 10% of carbon emissions from deforestation

Amazon: regrowing forests have offset less than 10% of carbon emissions from deforestation: Nowaczyk/Shutterstock Driven largely by the expansion of farm land to meet increasing global demand for products such as soya bean, loggers have cleared over 810,000 km² of forest in the Amazon – an area nearly as big as Norway and Sweden combined. …

Even if Bolsonaro leaves power, deforestation in Brazil will be hard to stop

Even if Bolsonaro leaves power, deforestation in Brazil will be hard to stop: Tarcisio Schnaider / shutterstock Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon made global headlines in 2019, thanks to massive wildfires and the election of anti-environmentalist president Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilians took to the streets against it, and retailers and consumers threatened to boycott Brazilian products. …

Deforestation is driven by global markets

Deforestation is driven by global markets: The world is at a crossroads, as humanity tries to mitigate climate change and halt biodiversity loss, while still securing a supply of food for everyone. A recent study in Nature Communications shows that global demands for commodities, especially in connection with agricultural development, are the main drivers of …

Deforestation in Africa: water filters save trees in Uganda

South Africa in the news: Deforestation in Africa: water filters save trees in Uganda: With clean water scarce in the country, locals use wood and coal to boil and sterilize it. A new climate-friendly filter system hopes to change that.: “South Africa” – BingNews FedEx signs as UEFA Champions League partner: FedEx has agreed a …

Demand for meat is driving deforestation in Brazil – changing the soy industry could stop it

Demand for meat is driving deforestation in Brazil – changing the soy industry could stop it: The Amazon rainforest meets soybean fields in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Paralaxis/Shutterstock Soy may have a pretty innocuous reputation thanks to its association with vegan food and meat alternatives. But don’t be fooled – crops of this pale legume are …

In the Amazon, forest degradation is outpacing full deforestation

In the Amazon, forest degradation is outpacing full deforestation: CIFOR / flickr, CC BY-NC Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased abruptly in the past two years, after having been on a downward trajectory for more than a decade. With the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro notoriously enthusiastic about expanding into the rainforest, new deforestation data …

Why rural electrification won’t fix deforestation in Zimbabwe

Why rural electrification won’t fix deforestation in Zimbabwe: GettyImages Reliance on biomass such as fuelwood for energy in rural areas has a strong bearing on Zimbabwe’s environment. Rural communities in Zimbabwe meet 94% of their cooking energy requirements by using traditional fuels, mainly fuelwood, and 20% of urban households use wood as the main cooking …

Deforestation in tropical Africa is not as bad as previously thought

Deforestation in tropical Africa is not as bad as previously thought: Plant remains, preserved in lake sediments like in the Republic of Congo help give accurate deforestation information. Carla Staver Deforestation has massive effects on the biosphere. It contributes to carbon emissions, changes in water cycles and biodiversity loss. The main cause of deforestation is …