Displaying items by tag: global deforestation reason
Organized crime put a hit on global forests — along with beef, soy, palm oil and timber interests
We are cutting through forests we need more than ever
This article was originally published in The Conversation. Jennifer Devine is an associate professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University.
Every year the world loses an estimated 25 million acres (10 million hectares) of forest, an area larger than the state of Indiana.
Nearly all of it is in the tropics
Tropical forests store enormous quantities of carbon and are home to at least two-thirds of the world’s living species, so deforestation has disastrous consequences for climate change and conservation. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, slowing its buildup in the atmosphere — but when they are burned or logged, they release their stored carbon, fueling further warming. Tropical forest loss generates nearly 50% more greenhouse gases than does the global transportation sector.