Forests

Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen, take up CO2 and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world's most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits that forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter. Yet we seem delightfully ignorant to their destruction since between 119-150 thousand square kilometers of forest are lost each year. This equals 36 football fields every minute. It is estimated that 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation. Deforestation is a particular concern in tropical rainforests because these forests are home to much of the world's biodiversity. For example, in the Amazon around 17% of the forest has been lost in the last 50 years, mostly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching. Deforestation in this region is particularly rampant near more populated areas, roads and rivers, but even remote areas have been encroached upon when valuable mahogany, gold and oil are discovered.[1] Globally about 50% of forest covered areas have been pillaged.[2] There are reports of deforestation decreasing[3], but with the importance of our trees, we cannot risk this turning into a "too little too late"-effort

There is also a strong correlation between debt and deforestation[4] because countries with high debt have to pay in natural resources when they are unable to pay back debt using money. Even here the actions of the World Bank and the IMF have a clear impact.

[1] https://worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation

[2] https://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/

[3] https://www.treehugger.com/conservation/deforestation-worldwide-has-more-halved-1990.html

[4] John Pilger - War by Other Means (youtube clip)