Global Deforestation Increased by 10% in 2022: Here's Why You Should Be Concerned!
Picture this: vast stretches of lush green forests, teeming with life, providing clean air, regulating the climate, and supporting countless species. Now imagine slowly but steadily losing this invaluable natural expanse. Unfortunately, that's the grim reality we face today, as global deforestation rates soared by a staggering 10% in 2022. The forested area lost is the size of Switzerland, and the rate of tree cover loss is the equivalent of losing 11 football fields of forest per minute.
If you're not already concerned, it's time to pay attention, because the consequences of this alarming trend could have far-reaching implications for our planet and all its inhabitants. This is more alarming off the back of COP 26, where over 100 nations pledged to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030 in a commitment that covered more than 90% of the world’s forests. The new data suggests that leaders are failing to deliver on their promises.
"The 2022 numbers are particularly disheartening," said Francis Seymour, a WRI official. "We had hoped by now to see a signal in the data that we were turning the corner on forest loss."
According to the World Research Institute’s global forest review, the planet lost 10% more forest than in 2021, an area equivalent to the size of Switzerland. Forests are more than just a collection of trees. They are intricate ecosystems that provide numerous benefits to both humans and the environment, and to simply ignore their destruction is simply positioning people and the planet for worse times ahead! This article aims to call your attention to the need to take action and protect our rainforests.
Deforestation Statistics for 2022
These losses occurred despite the pledges of 145 countries at COP26 in 2021 to increase efforts to reduce deforestation and halt it by 2030; the new data from the University of Maryland puts the world far off track for meeting the goal of zero deforestation.
According to the data available on the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform managed by the World Resources Institute (WRI):
The term “primary forest" here refers to some of the densest, wildest, and most ecologically significant forests on Earth.
Why should you be concerned?
Forest loss in tropical countries in 2022 led to the release of 2.7 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, equivalent to India's annual fossil fuel emissions. A country with a population of over 1.4 billion people and over 300 million cars The Brazilian Amazon alone lost 1.8 million hectares of primary forest, resulting in 1.2 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions, or 2.5 times Brazil’s annual fossil fuel emissions.
This means that the continued loss of primary tropical forests is pushing the planet’s temperature closer to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. Every time there is an increase in deforestation, as we saw in 2022, the goal set by companies and governments to be carbon neutral is simply pushed back a few years; if this trend continues, those goals will become unsustainable.
Halting and reversing forest loss is urgent and essential to keeping the global target of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius alive. It is also one of the most cost-effective mitigation options available for us today.” Francis Seymour (WRI)
Anyone worried about climate change and its impact on millions of people throughout the world should be concerned about deforestation and the consequences it has on the global climate. Global promises to achieve net zero by 2030 or 2050 are heavily reliant on the health of the world's forests, so when this "tool" for climate mitigation becomes a significant emitter, it is clearly cause for concern!
Less Pledging, More Action.
The disturbing rise in worldwide deforestation last year should ring serious alarm bells. Despite promises to halt deforestation and the pledges of 145 countries and world leaders to that effect, this is not sending the right message. losing a horrifying 4.1 million hectares of vital rainforests in 2022 alone. At this rate, we don't stand a chance of meeting the goal of zero deforestation by 2030. All those trees getting chopped down emitted a whopping 2.7 billion tons of carbon pollution into our skies. Essentially, it adds another India to the planet!
The Global Forest Watch effort found deforestation in 2022 was more than 10,000 square kilometers greater than the reductions required to prevent the loss of any forests by 2030.
So what needs to happen here? Plain and simple - we need to get serious about saving our forests. No more empty words. There needs to be a strategic and realistic discourse on what can be done to effectively protect the global tropics. Malaysia and Indonesia have so far been the leading examples for the rest of the planet, showing that it is indeed possible to effectively and sustainably protect rainforests!
FUND THE PLANET is on a mission to protect and conserve the Amazon rainforest and its natural ecosystems. We provide a trackable and sustainable environmental solution that enables people around the world to adopt and protect endangered rainforests. You can play a part in preventing the collapse of the Amazon Forest and in the fight against climate change. Learn more about how your organization can work with FUND THE PLANET to create a traceable and compelling ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT today. You can also visit the Rainforest Explorer to view our rainforest conservation efforts in real-time.