In 2021, the world lost an area of forest greater than the size of the United Kingdom, according to a report by Global Forest Watch – a trajectory that is set to fall short of global commitments made by world leaders at the United Nation’s COP26 climate summit in Scotland last year.
London.- About 253,000 square kilometers (97,600 square miles) of forest were lost in 2021, the report added. The figure amounts to about 10 football pitches per minute. The rate is about the same as in 2020, which saw a sharp increase from 2019 according to the report, which uses forest data collected by the University of Maryland.
The loss is significant because forests provide a buffer against climate change due to the vast amounts of carbon dioxide they absorb. Analysts say their rapid destruction is putting global climate targets at risk.
Particularly worrying is the loss of 37,500 square kilometers (14,500 square miles) of old-growth tropical rainforest, home to dense vegetation that holds high levels of carbon.
The data is in.
— Global Forest Watch (@globalforests) April 28, 2022
The tropics lost 3.75 million hectares of primary forest in 2021, a rate equivalent to 10 football pitches a minute.
Explore the 2021 #TreeCoverLoss data from @UMD_GLAD and read expert insights on the #GlobalForestReview.
The loss was largely caused by human destruction, notably land clearing for cattle and crops. Researchers calculated that the loss of tropical primary rainforests in 2021 resulted in the release of 2.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions of India.
More than 40 percent of that loss occurred in Brazil, where some 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) were destroyed. Activists say the policies of President Jair Bolsonaro have resulted in a recent spike in destruction. (RHC)