But a new study by the non-profit World Resources Institute puts a much finer point on how this is dominated by just one product: beef. WRI (World Resources Institute) looked at global satellite imagery between 2000 and 2015. A chart GFR 45A replaced cattle indicator deforestation linked agriculture.
WRI Research
— WRI
It found seven commodities accounted for 72 million hectares of lost forest, an area double the size of Germany. Of that, cattle ranching is responsible for 16% of total tree cover loss, or 45.1 million hectares, an area roughly equal to Sweden. It is followed by palm oil (10.5 million hectares) and soy (7.9 million hectares). Together, these seven commodities accounted for 57% of all deforestation from agriculture.
Much of these losses are concentrated in the tropics. In Asia and Africa, palm oil and chocolate were major drivers of deforestation. In South America, cattle and soy were the primary culprits, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon, one of the greatest remaining natural forests on the planet. Deforestation there is now at a 12-year high after Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has relaxed environmental enforcement.
Good News
But there are some good news for forests: The rate of losses has been declining for palm oil and soy production from highs in the mid to late 2000s. That is thanks to lower commodity prices, stricter national policies against deforestation, and corporate efforts to clean up supply chains, says WRI.
So far, though, these measures are proving difficult to apply to cattle ranching in Brazil, says Rachael Garrett, an environmental policy professor at ETH Zurich, a research university in Switzerland. Forest cleared for cattle is then held until the land values rise before it is sold to soybean producers. Cattle are easily moved around to obscure their connection to illegal deforestation. Since only a quarter of the country’s beef is exported, the industry has been insulated from international pressure. Garrett wrote by email:
Companies who source beef and leather are well behind other companies in making commitments to eliminate deforestation in their supply chains, and well behind other sectors in actually implementing their commitments effectively.
You Can Grow Food Without Clearing Forest
But the international mood is shifting. Nearly 500 major food retailers, traders, and processors globally have now adopted supply chain policies to support farmers who grow food without clearing forests. More than half of these initiatives, Garret found in her new research published in Environmental Research Letters, succeeded at slowing deforestation and improving livelihoods.
Planting tees responsibly can help reverse the trend of global warming. One solution to the problem is to replace damaged areas with reforestation initiatives—essentially rebuilding degraded forests by planting trees in a way that respects biodiversity and native species, to heal local ecosystems and reduce C02 emissions.
One study even proposed that increasing the earth’s forests by an area the size of the United States would cut atmospheric carbon dioxide by 25%. Which is important given that 40 billion tons of CO2 are added to the atmosphere every day because of fossil fuels. And to offset the carbon of just one person, 360 trees are needed. So obviously, there is lots of work to be done, but with a smart initiative, we all can make a difference. Reforestation, when done correctly, is an effective solution.
