The non-governmental organization World Resources Institute (WRI), in cooperation with scientists from the University of Maryland, published the annual report on the problem of deforestation. It shows that although in some countries the situation has changed for the better, in other parts of the world it is getting worse.
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A difficult year for forests
According to WRI data, in 2023 from the surface of the earth A total of 37,000 disappeared. square kilometers of primary forests. It's just a little less than that surface Switzerland (41 thousand square kilometers). On average trees were disappearing every minute from an area the size of 10 football fields.
Forests are being cut down mainly for agricultural activities – say specialists. They also had a large share in deforestation last year record fires. In herself Canada Because of this, 8 million hectares of forests have disappeared.
Calculations by the authors of the publication show that the total tree losses in 2023 are equal to the emission of 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This equates to almost half of the annual emissions from burning fossil fuels in USA.
A glimmer of hope in politicians
However, amidst all the bad news, there is also some positive news. Dramatic the clearing of tropical forests has decreased Brazil i Colombia. New presidents contributed to this: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil and Gustavo Petro in Colombia.
According to the authors of the study, the new authorities of these countries support the protection of the natural environment, including tropical forests. Thanks to their actions, the logging in Amazonia has slowed down significantly. In Brazil it was cleared by 36 percent jungle less than a year earlier. In Bolivia this rate was even better: felling was reduced by about 50%.. compared to the previous year.
Two steps back
Unfortunately, what was gained in Brazil and Colombia “caught up” in other countries. In 2023, logging and fires destroyed tropical forests in Bolivia (27% more of them disappeared than in 2022), as well as in Laos and Nicaragua.
The world is taking two steps forward and two steps back on forest loss, said Mikaela Weisse, director of WRI.
In Bolivia, 2023 was the third year in a row with a record high number of logging. In the Republic Kongo for the second year in a row over half a million hectares of forests have disappeared tropical.
Farther and farther from the goal
During the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, world leaders agreed that deforestation should stop or even reverse by 2030. For this to happen and for forests to regenerate, the loss of green areas must not exceed a certain level. However, the authors of the publication prove that this is currently impossible.
In 2023, almost 2 million hectares more of forests have disappeared than the level required to meet the target.
– Are we on track to stop deforestation by 2030? The short answer is: no. We are way off track and heading in the wrong direction, emphasized Rod Taylor, WRI's director of forests.
Sources: The Guardian, AFP, BBC, WRI.org
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