The Rainforest Alliance explains how deforestation affects climate change and the innovative approach we take to maintain forests.
Forests offer many valuable gifts, including a crucial one: aiding in the effort to slow climate change. Trees play a vital role in capturing greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, which are responsible for warming our planet. However, when we clear forests, we not only lose our most effective ally in reducing the enormous amount of GHGs produced by human activities like burning fossil fuels in energy facilities and transportation. We also contribute to emissions by cutting down trees, which releases all the stored carbon into the atmosphere. Whether the felled trees are left to decompose or burned, it results in additional emissions. Overall, deforestation is responsible for around 10 percent of global emissions.
Deforestation robs us of a vital weapon in fighting climate change – and creates additional greenhouse gases – so why on Earth would anyone clear a forest? The main reason is agriculture. With an exploding population, big business is razing forests to plant mega crops like soy and oil palm; while on a much smaller scale, subsistence farmers often clear trees to plant crops to feed their families and make a small profit.
In spite of this, clearing rainforests for agriculture has a tragic irony: the soils beneath them are terrible. Once the forests are burned and their ashes are exhausted, farmers are left with completely useless soil because all the nutrients are locked up in them. Agricultural activity accounts for 80 percent of tropical deforestation, so they raze, plant, deplete, and repeat.
It’s no surprise that agriculture contributes to emissions; in fact, farm emissions are second only to those from the energy sector. In 2011, they made up about 13 percent of global emissions. These mainly come from methane (produced by cattle) and nitrous oxide (from fertilizers). When we look at deforestation, it becomes clear that it has a threefold impact on global warming: first, we lose a crucial carbon sink; second, felled trees release stored carbon as they decompose or are burned; and third, the replacement of forests with livestock and crops produces even more greenhouse gases. In total, these emissions account for a quarter of all global emissions.
Our analysis of the negative effects of deforestation solely focuses on emissions and does not even address the devastation that is inflicted upon forest communities or the loss of numerous plant and animal species, which disturbs the delicate balance of ecosystems. The consequences of deforestation and global warming also indirectly lead to an increase in mosquito-borne diseases and the rapid spread of Roya, a harmful plant ailment that poses a threat to our coffee supply. It is indisputable that preserving forests is crucial in combating climate change. However, with a rapidly growing global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, there is an urgent need to meet the demand for food. This is why at the Rainforest Alliance, we collaborate with farmers to implement various strategies like crop intensification, as well as support traditional forest-dwellers in establishing sustainable livelihoods that do not harm forests or ecosystems. With forests remaining intact, we have a better chance of succeeding in this battle.