Deforestation and climate change

Deforestation in the tropics – given as the annual average between 2010 and 2014 – was responsible for 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. That was 6.5% of global CO2 emissions.

Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change,[1][2] and climate change affects the health of forests.[3] Land use change, especially in the form of deforestation, is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, after the burning of fossil fuels.[4][5] Greenhouse gases are emitted from deforestation during the burning of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon. Global models and national greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions.[5] As of 2019, deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions.[6] Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are accelerating.[7][8]

When forests grow they are a carbon sink and therefore have potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. Some of the effects of climate change, such as more wildfires,[9] invasive species, and more extreme weather events can lead to more forest loss.[10][11] The relationship between deforestation and climate change is one of a positive (amplifying) climate feedback.[12] The more trees that are removed equals larger effects of climate change which, in turn, results in the loss of more trees.[13]

Forests cover 31% of the land area on Earth. Every year, 75,700 square kilometers (18.7 million acres) of the forest is lost.[14] There was a 12% increase in the loss of primary tropical forests from 2019 to 2020.[15]

Deforestation has many causes and drivers. Examples include agricultural clearcutting, livestock grazing, logging for timber, and wildfires.

  1. ^ Sutter, John D. (13 August 2015). "10 climate change villains". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  2. ^ Heidari, Hadi; Warziniack, Travis; Brown, Thomas C.; Arabi, Mazdak (February 2021). "Impacts of Climate Change on Hydroclimatic Conditions of U.S. National Forests and Grasslands". Forests. 12 (2): 139. doi:10.3390/f12020139.
  3. ^ US EPA, OAR (2022-10-19). "Climate Change Impacts on Forests". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  4. ^ "Main sources of carbon dioxide emissions | CO2 Human Emissions". www.che-project.eu. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  5. ^ a b Climate Change and Land: Summary for Policymakers (PDF) (Report). IPCC. August 2019.
  6. ^ "How the UK contributes to global deforestation". BBC News. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  7. ^ Feng, Yu; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Searchinger, Timothy D.; Ziegler, Alan D.; Wu, Jie; Wang, Dashan; He, Xinyue; Elsen, Paul R.; Ciais, Philippe; Xu, Rongrong; Guo, Zhilin (2022-02-28). "Doubling of annual forest carbon loss over the tropics during the early twenty-first century". Nature Sustainability. 5 (5): 444–451. Bibcode:2022NatSu...5..444F. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00854-3. hdl:2346/92751. ISSN 2398-9629. S2CID 247160560.
  8. ^ Greenfield, Patrick (2022-02-28). "Deforestation emissions far higher than previously thought, study finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  9. ^ Heidari, Hadi; Arabi, Mazdak; Warziniack, Travis (August 2021). "Effects of Climate Change on Natural-Caused Fire Activity in Western U.S. National Forests". Atmosphere. 12 (8): 981. Bibcode:2021Atmos..12..981H. doi:10.3390/atmos12080981.
  10. ^ Seymour, Frances; Gibbs, David (2019-08-08). "Forests in the IPCC Special Report on Land Use: 7 Things to Know". World Resources Institute. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  11. ^ "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | US EPA". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  12. ^ Bajželj, Bojana; Richards, Keith S. (2014). "The Positive Feedback Loop between the Impacts of Climate Change and Agricultural Expansion and Relocation". Land. 3 (3): 898–916. doi:10.3390/land3030898. ISSN 2073-445X.
  13. ^ Allen, Craig D.; Macalady, Alison K.; Chenchouni, Haroun; Bachelet, Dominique; McDowell, Nate; Vennetier, Michel; Kitzberger, Thomas; Rigling, Andreas; Breshears, David D.; Hogg, E.H. (Ted); Gonzalez, Patrick; Fensham, Rod; Zhang, Zhen; Castro, Jorge; Demidova, Natalia (February 2010). "A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests". Forest Ecology and Management. 259 (4): 660–684. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.001. S2CID 4144174.
  14. ^ "Deforestation and Forest Degradation". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  15. ^ Seymour, Frances (2021-03-31). "2021 Must Be a Turning Point for Forests. 2020 Data Shows Us Why". World Resources Institute.