Forests are the forgotten solution to Climate Change. Large forests are capable of sucking up huge amounts of carbon. Forests like those still found in the Amazon, the largest forested region on the planet, act like a sink to remove emissions from the atmosphere.
Global Forest Watch monitors deforestation in real time. They estimate that between 2001 and 2017, 323 million hectares of tree cover was lost. Much of that was driven by agriculture, logging, and cattle ranching.
Frances Seymour from the World Resources Institute says countries have the capacity to enforce sustainable forest management, but it is the lack of political will that stands between this goals and reality.
There is a natural solution to Climate Change all around us that we take for granted – Jane Goodman and Alec Baldwin explain how we can get back on track.
“Droughts, heatwaves, wild fires.
Superstorms are all deadly reminders
of where we are right now
The natural balance of our planet is changing
This is just the beginning
We either come together and make climate change an urgent priority
or let chaos reign
Wind, solar, electric cars are among the big clean technologies of the future
but they are not enough
We must do better
On third, that‘s the number you need to know
One third of all carbon in the atmosphere can be reduced by a natural solution that is all around us
It is a solution that starts with a single tree
A single tree from the rainforests of Asia, the Amazon and the Congo
A tree that helps a little girl breathe
Gives her water and offers animals shelter
A single tree can clean carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
While one tree cannot do it alone, a forest can
Without forests
there is no climate solution
It’s a solution that must not be forgotten
With Each second that passes a forest is destroyed
and another, and another
At the rate of a soccer field a second
and at the blink of an eye half the planet’s forests are already gone
The destruction come from the flick of a match,
the blade of a bulldozer
businesses choosing their bottom line over what is best for the planet
But it all can be stopped, if we gather the courage to change our habits
We can decide to reuse existing land to feed our planet
instead of clearing forests for farming and ranches
Companies can decide to use products from sources that are deforestation free
We can decide to value and support indigenous people
because they are the best protectors of tropical forests
We can decide to replant the forests that have been lost
to make our planet whole again
and wealthier countries can decide to do more to help tropical forest nations conserve and protect their rain forests
and each and every one of us can decide to elect leaders who make climate change a priority
We might not be able to totally stop the clock on the effects of climate change
but protecting forests will give us the time, the precious time, we need
to blanket our planet with solar, wind and clean energy solutions
A natural solution is right here, right now, all around us
We can make a difference
One third of the difference
That’s a big number
Because we have no time to loose
Save the climate
Save the Earth
Don’t let forests be the forgotten solution”
Nature is Speaking: Shailene Woodley is Forest
National Geographic – Climate 101: Causes and Effects