Deforestation is the purposeful clearing or thinning of trees and forests. When it occurs, much carbon stored in the trees is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing significantly to climate change. In the last 10 years, the most significant deforestation occurred in humid areas like Africa and South America. Around 420 million hectares of forest were lost between 1990 and 2020. -1.jpg)
The yearly rate slowed but was still about 10 million hectares per year between 2015 and 2020. The most important reason for deforestation is the global demand for agricultural commodities. Deforestation contributes 12-20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result of deforestation, some tropical forests are turning from carbon sink to a carbon source, and this needs to change before it becomes an even bigger problem.
Related Stories:
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/latin-america/brazil/stories-in-brazil/deforestation-and-climate-change
https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/effects-of/deforestation
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/whats-redd-and-will-it-help-tackle-climate-change/
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