Forests cover 30% of the world's total land and are critical in maintaining the Earth's ecosystem. The trees, plants and soil in these forests help mitigate climate change by sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. In addition, forests play an important role in managing the water cycle, the process by which water circulates between the planet and the atmosphere.
Tropical forests and deforestation
Tropical forests, such as the Amazon rainforest, are also home to millions of species.
The Amazon is home to 15% of all bird and butterfly species on Earth, and over a dozen animals, such as the pink river dolphin and the Titi San Martin monkey, are found nowhere else.
Causes and effects of deforestation
Meat production is the main cause of deforestation. Deforestation refers to the permanent destruction of forests to make room for agricultural development, housing, timber extraction, and other resources.
Effects of deforestation:
- Increases greenhouse gas emissions.
- It breaks the water cycle.
- It puts millions of species at risk.
Causes of deforestation
Deforestation refers to the permanent destruction of forests for agricultural development, housing, timber extraction and other resources.
Statistics:
- Humans destroy about 10 million hectares of forest, or 15.3 billion trees, every year.
- 95% of deforestation occurs in tropical regions.
- One third of deforestation is in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Agriculture and deforestation
We use 49% of agricultural land for growing crops and 38% for grazing cattle. Many of these crops, such as soybeans, are grown primarily to feed grazing livestock, with livestock consuming 80% of the world's soybean production.
Thus, meat production actually uses 77% of agricultural land. Beef production is the main culprit of deforestation, accounting for at least 41% of global deforestation, especially in the Amazon rainforest region of Brazil and other countries in Latin America. As our appetite for meat and beef grows, so does the pressure on our forests.
How to reduce deforestation
- Implementation of policies that limit or prohibit deforestation.
- Brazil has seen a dramatic reduction in deforestation since 2019.
- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tripled the budget of the environmental enforcement agency and increased surveillance in the Amazon to catch illegal loggers.
The role of banks
- Between 2015 and 2022, banks provided an annual average of $77 billion in loans to industrial livestock companies.
- Cessation of bank investments in livestock may reduce their operations.
- Reducing the consumption of beef, dairy and other animal products in our diet to prevent deforestation.
