Latest news with #PeterPotapov
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
Global forest loss hit a record in 2024 as fires raged
The planet lost a record amount of forests last year, largely because of fires that raged around the world, data shows. Loss of pristine rainforests alone reached 6.7 million hectares (16.5 million acres) in 2024, nearly twice as much as in 2023, researchers at the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute said in an annual update of the state of the world's forests. The world lost the equivalent of 18 soccer fields of forested land every minute, the researchers estimated. For the first time since record-keeping began, fires, not agriculture, were the leading cause of rainforest loss, accounting for nearly half of all destruction. Those fires emitted 4.1 gigatons of planet-warming greenhouse gasses, which is more than four times the emissions from air travel in 2023, the researchers said. READ MORE Still, land clearing for agriculture, cattle farming and other causes rose by 14 per cent, the sharpest increase in almost a decade. [ What do changing rainfall patterns mean for the world's nourishing grasslands? Opens in new window ] 'If this trend continues, it could permanently transform critical natural areas and unleash large amounts of carbon, intensifying climate change and fuelling even more extreme fires,' Peter Potapov, the codirector of the Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab at the University of Maryland, said in a statement. Forests do a lot of work to store carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas that is driving climate change. Globally, forests are thought to absorb from the atmosphere more than a quarter of the carbon emissions from human activities every year. Intact tropical forests are especially effective at storing carbon. Brazil, which has the largest area of tropical forest, accounted for 42 per cent of all tropical primary forest loss in 2024, the data showed. Fires fuelled by the worst drought on record caused 66% of that loss, a more than sixfold increase from 2023. In neighbouring Bolivia, forest loss nearly tripled, as fires initially set to clear land for agriculture turned into huge wildfires because of the severe drought. Congo and the Republic of Congo also saw their highest levels of forest loss on record, driven by unusually hot and dry conditions. Like the Amazon rainforest, the Congo Basin plays a crucial role in trapping the world's carbon. Land clearing in Congo has been driven by poverty and a deep reliance on forests for food and energy, as well as ongoing conflict and instability, said Teodyl Nkuintchua of the World Resources Institute Africa. Researchers at the University of Maryland's lab use satellite imagery to track changes in forest cover. The data is publicly available on the World Resources Institute's Global Forest Watch platform. In 2021, more than 140 countries agreed to halt and reverse global forest loss by 2030. But of the 20 countries with the largest area of primary forests, 17 have higher losses today than when the agreement was signed, researchers said. Some forests showed improvements over prior years. Primary forest loss in Indonesia fell by 11 per cent, reversing a steady increase between 2021 and 2023. Forest loss also declined 13 per cent in Malaysia. Researchers said efforts to restore the land, like thinning trees or prescribed burning, helped to curb wildfires, even amid widespread droughts. Dominick Spracklen, a professor at the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds University who did not work on the report, said the data showed 'an incredibly worrying situation.' Tropical forests used to be too wet to burn, he said. But as the climate warmed, and as forests degraded from human activity, they were becoming increasingly at risk of fire, he said. 'Last year showed how dangerous the situation has become,' Spracklen said. It also showed how, despite pockets of progress, governments have made little progress toward their pledges to fight deforestation. The rich nations of the world, in particular, had not yet made good on promises to provide financial support for measures to support tropical forests, he said. 'The survival of everyone in the world depends on it.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times . 2025 The New York Times Company
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
‘Global red alert': Forest loss hit record levels in 2024
Global forest loss surged to record levels in 2024, with wildfires destroying 6.7 million hectares of tropical primary forest – nearly double the previous year's – according to new satellite data. For the first time, fires, not agriculture, were the leading driver of tropical forest loss, according to data released by Global Forest Watch, as experts called it a 'global red alert'. The new figures, based on analysis by the University of Maryland 's GLAD Lab and published on the World Resources Institute 's Global Forest Watch platform, reveal the devastating toll of fire-fuelled deforestation on both the climate and vulnerable communities around the world. 'This level of forest loss is unlike anything we've seen in over 20 years of data,' said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch. 'It's a global red alert – a collective call to action for every country, every business and every person who cares about a liveable planet. Our economies, our communities, our health – none of it can survive without forests.' The loss of tropical primary forests – vital ecosystems that store carbon and support biodiversity – amounted to an area nearly the size of Panama vanishing at a rate of 18 football fields per minute. Globally, fires emitted 4.1 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases, more than four times the emissions from all commercial air travel in 2023. It's a global red alert – a collective call to action for every country, every business and every person who cares about a liveable planet. Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch While wildfires are common in boreal regions, fire has historically been a secondary cause of tropical deforestation. In 2024, however, fires accounted for nearly half of all tropical primary forest loss – up from 20 per cent in previous years. The report attributes the shift to a combination of human activity, rising land pressure and extreme heat, worsened by El Niño and the continued impacts of the climate crisis. '2024 was the worst year on record for fire-driven forest loss, breaking the record set just last year,' said Peter Potapov, research professor at the University of Maryland and co-director of the GLAD Lab. 'If this trend continues, it could permanently transform critical natural areas and unleash large amounts of carbon, intensifying climate crisis and fuelling even more extreme fires.' Brazil accounted for 42 per cent of all tropical primary forest loss in 2024. In the Amazon, tree cover loss was the highest since 2016, while the Pantanal saw its worst year on record. Fires, made worse by Brazil's most severe drought to date, were responsible for two-thirds of the loss in the country – a more than sixfold increase from 2023. 'Brazil has made progress under President Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), but the threat to forests remains,' said Mariana Oliveira, director of the Forests and Land Use Program at WRI Brasil. 'Without sustained investment in community fire prevention, stronger state-level enforcement and a focus on sustainable land use, hard-won gains risk being undone. As Brazil prepares to host Cop30 [climate summit], it has a powerful opportunity to put forest protection front and centre on the global stage.' Bolivia saw the second-highest forest loss in the tropics, overtaking the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time. Primary forest loss there jumped by 200 per cent in 2024 to 1.5 million hectares, more than half of it driven by fires. 'The fires that tore through Bolivia in 2024 left deep scars – not only on the land but on the people who depend on it,' said Stasiek Czaplicki Cabezas, a Bolivian researcher and data journalist for Revista Nómadas. 'The damage could take centuries to undo.' Colombia, meanwhile, experienced a nearly 50 per cent increase in forest loss, though largely from illegal mining and coca cultivation rather than fire. 'We need to keep supporting local, nature-based economies – especially in remote areas – and invest in solutions that protect the environment, create jobs and foster peace,' said Joaquin Carrizosa, senior advisor at WRI Colombia. Forest loss also spiked across Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. In the ROC, fire-related loss rose to 45 per cent, driven by drought and unseasonably hot conditions. In the DRC, longstanding poverty and conflict continue to fuel deforestation. 'There's no silver bullet,' said Teodyl Nkuintchua, WRI Africa's Congo Basin strategy and engagement lead. 'But we won't change the current trajectory until people across the Congo Basin are fully empowered to lead conservation efforts that also support their rural economies.' Dr Matt Hansen, co-director of the GLAD Lab, warned: 'We're seeing unprecedented forest loss from fire in the few remaining 'High Forest, Low Deforestation' countries, like the Republic of Congo. This new dynamic is outside of current policy frameworks or intervention capabilities and will severely test our ability to maintain intact forests within a warming climate.' Amid the devastation, the report highlighted progress in parts of Southeast Asia. Indonesia reduced primary forest loss by 11 per cent, helped by long-standing efforts to restore degraded land and control fires. Malaysia saw a 13 per cent decline and dropped out of the top 10 for tropical forest loss for the first time. 'We're proud that Indonesia is one of the few countries in the world to reduce primary forest loss,' said Arief Wijaya, managing director at WRI Indonesia. 'But deforestation remains a concern due to plantations, small-scale farming and mining – even within protected areas.' The year also saw intense fire seasons in boreal forests, with Canada and Russia contributing to a 5 per cent rise in total tree cover loss globally – 30 million hectares in total, an area roughly the size of Italy. To meet the goal of halting forest loss by 2030, the world needs to cut deforestation by 20 per cent each year starting now. But in 2024, tropical forest loss increased by 80 per cent. 'Countries have repeatedly pledged to halt deforestation and forest degradation,' said Kelly Levin, chief of science, data and systems change at the Bezos Earth Fund. 'Yet the data reveal a stark gap between promises made and progress delivered.' Rod Taylor, director of forests and nature conservation at WRI, added: 'Forest fires and land clearing are driving up emissions, while the climate is already changing faster than forests can adapt. This crisis is pushing countless species to the brink and forcing Indigenous Peoples and local communities from their ancestral lands.' The report says that the path forward requires stronger fire prevention, deforestation-free supply chains, support for Indigenous land stewardship and greater political will, especially from countries that made bold commitments at climate summits, but are failing to follow through.
