27 June 2023 – Despite world leaders pledging to end deforestation by 2030 during COP26, an area of rainforest the size of Switzerland was lost last year.
The loss of tropical forests is a big driver for climate change, because these forests absorb and hold a huge amount of carbon dioxide. Without them, this CO2 will stay in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
At the same time, when the trees are cut down or otherwise destroyed they release the carbon dioxide they have stored. It’s also a big driver for biodiversity loss. That’s why it is so vital that we stop the loss of any more rainforests.
The world has recognised this and at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 over 100 world leaders have signed a pledge to stop and reverse deforestation by 2030. However, new research has now shown that we are not on track to meet this target.
In 2022, an area of rainforest as big as Switzerland has been lost across various countries all over the world.
4.1 Million Hectares Of Tropical Primary Forest Lost
New data from the University of Maryland, which can be found on the Global Forest Watch website, has shown that a total of 4.1 million hectares of tropical primary forest was lost in 2022.
This is the equivalent of losing 11 football pitches per minute. It is estimated that this rainforest loss has created 2.7 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2, about the same amount as India’s fossil fuel emissions per year.
The data also shows that rather than decreasing, deforestation seems to increase. Despite 145 countries, including Brazil, signing the Glasgow Declaration. This agreement, that has been drawn up during COP26, is a commitment to stop and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
However, the university’s analysis shows that we are not on track to meet this target. It shows that the tropics have lost 10% more rainforest than in 2021 through felling or burning.
The question is, are we on track to halt deforestation by 2030? And the short answer is a simple no. Globally, we are far off track and trending in the wrong direction. Our analysis shows that global deforestation in 2022 was over 1 million hectares above the level needed to be on track to zero deforestation by 2030.
Rod Taylor from the World Resources Institute which runs the Global Forest Watch
Brazil Tops The List Of Countries With Biggest Losses
While deforestation has increased globally, in Brazil the rate of loss of tropical forest is the highest, with an increase of over 14% in 2022. The loss in Brazil accounts for 43% of the total global loss.
The 1.8 million hectares that were lost in Brazil in 2022 were responsible for 1.2 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions. This is 2.5 times the amount Brazil produces through fossil fuel per year.
This huge loss in Brazil has happened despite former president Jair Bolsonaro also signing the Glasgow Declaration. However, he has also relaxed the enforcement of environmental laws. This allowed development in the Amazon rainforest.
However, the new president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has promised to end deforestation in his country. He will discuss the issue in a pan-Amazon summit later this year.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also had a high rate of primary forest loss in 2022, with 513,000 hectares disappearing. Most of the loss in DRC comes from small-scale clearings near cyclical agricultural areas.
These are areas where the forests are cleared and burned to cultivate crops for a short period of time. The land is then left to regenerate. It is thought that the population growth in DRC and the need for more food is responsible for this practice.
However, once primary forests are gone, it isn’t easy to replace them. These forests consist of very old trees, which are hosts for a variety of different species. It would take a long time to get them to the same level where they can support the same biodiversity.
Ghana, Bolivia and Angola have also seen an increase in deforestation in 2022, by more than 50%. Ghana has even seen an increase of 71%.
Indonesia And Malaysia Reducing Deforestation
But the data also shows that there is good news. In Indonesia the loss of primary forest loss has reduced since a record high was reported in 2016. Government as well as corporate actions are credited with this decrease.
The Indonesian government has made a moratorium on logging in new palm oil plantations permanent in 2019. In 2022, only 230,000 hectares have been lost in this country.
In Malaysia, both the government and corporations have also stepped up with the result that loss of forest is decreasing. Around 83% of palm oil refining capacity across both countries now operates under no deforestation, no peatland and no exploitation commitments.
The example of Indonesia and Malaysia shows that it is possible to halt the loss of rainforest if government and business work together.
