2023-10-24 07:18:21
In 2002, global deforestation increased by 4% compared to 2021, with the loss of 6.6 million hectares of forest, which threatens the goal of eliminating the loss of tree mass by 2030, according to a report given to meet this Monday.
The study by the Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA), a coalition of civil society organizations that monitors deforestation on the planet, found that the 2022 data represents an acceleration in the destruction of forests and a setback in the global commitment to eliminate forest loss by 2030.
The authors of the study noted that with the setback in 2022, the world would need to reduce deforestation by 27.8% this year to maintain the 2030 goal.
Deforestation has intensified especially in tropical foreststhe densest and most virgin on the planet, of which 4.1 million hectares will be destroyed in 2022.
And of all regions of the world, the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially in Brazil and Bolivia, was the most worrying. In the region, deforestation increased by 8% in 2022 compared to the baseline, which is the average loss for the 2018-2020 period.
In the case of Brazil, the authors of the report found from 2023 a rapid change to protect forestsan improvement that is not reflected in the published data.
Unlike Latin America, in Asia deforestation decreased by 18% and countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia met their goals for 2022.
Loss of primary forests increases
(ARCHIVE)
Another point of concern for the authors of the report is that in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, the loss of primary (virgin) forests increased by 6% in 2022.
And outside the tropics, in boreal and temperate forests, although deforestation is low, significant degradation is occurring, which is why the FDA requests European and North American countries to better protect these forest masses.
Franziska Haupt, one of the report’s lead authors and manager of the organization Climate Focus, expressed optimism despite the acceleration in forest loss.
“Hope is not lost. We have also found that around 50 countries “They are on the path to ending deforestation on their borders,” he explained in a statement.
“Some major tropical countries, such as Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia, have achieved drastic reductions in forest losses. Reforms are not easy and these countries are a clear example that others should follow,” Haupt added.
In this sense, “Forest Pathways 2023”, a second WWF report also released this Monday, explained that despite the acceleration of deforestation, it is possible to achieve the 2030 goal if the private sector and public administrations maintain their promises.
The WWF study echoes the FDA’s conclusions and criticizes that subsidies that damage the environment exceed at least 100 times the funding allocated to protecting forests.
In fact, FDA estimated that public administrations allocate to forests each year at only $2.2 billion.
The harm of subsidies
In comparison, Erin Matson, FDA coordinator, told Efe that each year about $500 billion is allocated to finance activities that damage the tree mass.
Both Matson and Edegar Oliveira, from WWF Brazil, indicated to questions from Efe that it is necessary to convert the subsidies and use them to promote practices that do not destroy forests, so that farmers and communities can continue to benefit from the aid.
Forest destruction means that tropical forests have begun to be a source of carbon emissions, instead of retaining CO2, which will accelerate the climate crisis.
FDA estimated that greenhouse gas emissions resulting from deforestation increased 6% in 2022 and reached the equivalent of 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide.
Fran Price, head of WWF Global Forests, said: “The world is turning its back on forests, which will have devastating consequences on a global scale. Without forests, it is impossible to reverse nature loss, respond to the climate crisis and develop sustainable economies.”
“Governments and companies have the enormous responsibility of leading us to the appropriate path. We do not need new objectives but rather to meet the objectives already established with uncompromising ambition, speed and with accountability,” he added.
The FDA report points to agriculture and ranching as the main culprits of forest loss in the tropics, although other activities, such as road construction, fires and the logging industry, also contribute.
WWF requested an end to investments and subsidies that are responsible for the destruction of 2.2 million hectares of forest each year.
In addition, the organization demanded the reform of international trade rules that damage forests and that the recognition of the rights over the territory of indigenous peoples be accelerated.
#Deforestation #increases #world