What’s going on with the world’s forests and how do they play a role in climate action?

Why are forests key to solving the climate emergency?

Earth’s forests and soil absorb about 30 per cent of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, largely from forest growth following wood harvest and agricultural abandonment. Forests play a vital role in stabilising the climate; they regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and support livelihoods. Forests also play a vital role in preventing soil erosion (and flooding), and they provide a habitat for a huge array of (often endangered) species.

Has deforestation not always happened?

Deforestation has occurred throughout human history and is slowly decreasing. According to the State of the World’s forests, the annual rate of deforestation decreased from about 16 million ha between 1990 and 2000 to about 10 million ha between  2015 and 2020. While this is a significant decrease, it is not enough. The world is still losing 10 million ha of forests every year, about the size of South Korea. And that’s not good at all.

So, deforestation is bad?

Exceptionally so. As healthy forests absorb carbon dioxide from the air, they play an important role in reaching the Paris Agreement targets. On the other hand, deforestation releases the carbon that is stored in forest ecosystems into the air, which makes up about 10 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is an absolute priority to turn the tide on deforestation and address these emissions. Keeping old-growth forests standing also has wide-ranging benefits beyond mitigating climate change, as forests have ecological and socio-economic value. All people depend upon forests and their biodiversity, some more than others. The FAO estimates that 880 million people worldwide get at least part of their income and subsistence from forests, while global forests contain more than 60,000 different tree species and provide habitats for 80 per cent of amphibian species, 75 per cent of bird species and 68 per cent of mammal species. Trees also help regulate water cycles and local temperatures through ‘transpiration.’ They do this both by shading the land and by releasing moisture from their leaves – a single tree can transpire hundreds of litres of water every day, cooling the air as they do.

Who is responsible for deforestation?

As always, it is complicated. Some of it is due to governments clearing land; some of it is due to local people who want forested land to grow things on, but the majority of deforestation is a result of unsustainable agricultural expansion, primarily cattle ranching and cultivation of soya bean and oil palm. A report just released on deforestation by CDP, a non-profit that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts, revealed that 553 companies, producing seven commodities – cattle products, palm oil, soy, timber products, natural rubber, coffee and cocoa – are responsible for the majority of agriculture-related deforestation. Between 2001 and 2015, more than 72 million hectares of forests were lost to produce these commodities. To address this, more than 200 governments, multinationals, groups representing indigenous communities, and NGOs have endorsed the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). The declaration includes ambitious targets to end natural forest loss by 2030 and calls for restoring 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands by 2030. Achieving the NYDF goals could reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases by 4.5–8.8 billion metric tons every year – equivalent to the United States’ annual emissions.

Shouldn’t people in the developing world be able to use land for agricultural purposes like those in the developed world?

Good question. Many communities cut down trees as they need the land to farm on. And while some of the commodities mentioned above are extracted by large corporations (such as palm oil), coffee and cocoa are produced largely by micro enterprises. For example, it is estimated that 70 to 80 per cent of the world’s coffee is produced by smallholders. It is important then that any moves to tackle deforestation don’t punish the poor and provide alternative means for them to make a living.

But can we not just plant more trees?

We can, and we should – as far as feasible. While the IPCC estimates that afforestation could potentially remove up to about 9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, realizing this theoretical potential in practice will be difficult. Land is a truly limited resource, and planting more trees could greatly increase competition for land if applied at scale, with potential adverse effects on food security. Planting new forests could certainly help to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050. Restoration of degraded forests is another essential opportunity in forest mitigation. So, yes we should plant more trees in the right places, but that alone will not be enough.

So, what are we waiting for?

There are practical implications: Planting an area greater than the size of the US and Canada combined would be expensive and difficult, and raise a number of questions. Can certain ecosystems sustain increased tree cover, especially with increasing climate change impacts? How do the costs of implementing afforestation and global forest restoration compare to the benefits? It’s also important to note that where we plant trees matters as, for example, trees planted in a tropical rainforest make a far bigger difference than trees planted in a temperate climate such as Europe. Sassan Saatchi, a senior scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, who is an expert in global forest carbon stocks, said: “It could take between one and two thousand years, assuming we plant a million hectares a year and that each hectare contains at least 50 to 100 trees to create an appropriate treetop canopy cover.”

What can I do to help?

Glad you asked. You can opt for smarter consumption choses, for exampling avoiding products from uncertified palm oil producers. You can also choose products that come with a guarantee that producers have not cut down protected forests. You can browse reforestation projects and donate money to reforestation projects. This not only supports local workers, but helps in fighting emissions and soil erosion.

What is the UNFCCC’s role in this?

Parties to the UNFCCC have created a framework for implementing forest mitigation activities in developing countries: the Warsaw Framework for REDD+, which is also an integral part of the Paris Agreement. For more information  measurement of results, in particular related to reducing emissions from deforestation, check out the UNFCCC REDD+ platform. You can also discover more information on national REDD+ strategies or what is being done in capacity building and resource mobilisation.