29/06/2020
We've all heard the term deforestation, but do you know the main reasons why trees are cut down? Or what the real consequences are?
Deforestation is a huge environmental challenge. So let's explore what it is, what drives it, and how we can preserve and restore the world's forests.
Our planet’s forests are some of the most valuable resources we have. They provide us with clean air, a source of food, construction material, and much more.
Even more importantly, forests are a major line of defense against climate change. A single tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year - which makes them the most effective CO2 scrubbing machines we have.
Despite this, forests are being systematically eliminated all across the world - a process we know as deforestation.
Did you know that:
- Each year 15 Billion trees are lost the deforestation and forest degradation, that is 35 Football fields of a tree cut down per minute and accelerating, at this rate the World's rain forest may be completely gone within a hundred years.
- 13% of the world's carbon emissions are due to deforestation, making it the major driver of climate-changing, not only doing the trees to absorb our carbon when they're removed much of the carbon that has stored is released.
-Industrial agriculture accounts for around 73% of deforestation worldwide. Cattle (particularly beef), Palm Oil, and Soybeans are considered as rapidly growing agriculture, which is responsible for the vast majority of deforestation, global demand for food especially meat forces millions of acres of forest to be cleared.
-with timber logging (~60%), fuelwood (~25%), as well as wildfires ( ~10%), drive the partial destruction force it's known as degradation all of this is driven by our relentless economic expansion and population growth both set to increase dramatically. While harvesting timber is necessary for our economy, unrestrained deforestation can lead to disruption of weather patterns and the collapse of the entire ecosystems threatening our safety and other resources we can depend on.
So what's the solution?
Can we stop this seemingly unstoppable force?
The short answer, Yes but it will take some work.
Research has shown that it is possible to decouple economic growth from deforestation by reconfiguring our supply chains and adopting sustainable land-use policies. Thanks to the effort of activist policymakers and businesses around the world deforestation are actually slowing down in some regions.
Finally, reforestation and afforestation efforts are growing worldwide, here at WoodDo we work with partners all across the globe to restore damaged forests and plant new once.
You can become part of these efforts by supporting us with our product, how?
That's simply as ordering wood accessories and we plant a tree.
Doing that you also support our local artisans.
