Başak Aybike/Suphi Koyuncuoğlu Ort

Buy forest-friendly (or certified) products such as shade-grown coffee. Use your purchasing power in a high-impact way to prevent deforestation. Agriculture is responsible for 80 percent of deforestation around the world, with mining and logging contributing as well.

Why Are Forests So Important?

They cover 30% of the planet’s land surface and they’re fundamental for the quality of the air we breathe, 20% of which comes from the Amazonian rainforest. Forests are also crucial for the quality of the rivers’ waters that cities directly or indirectly consume and for the regulation of the water cycle. They also play a key role in fighting climate change as they soak up and store CO2 into their biomass, preventing it from going to the atmosphere. In fact, protecting forests has the power to help us fulfill the Paris Agreement by 37%, the Scientific American says.

Why Do Forests Need Our Protection And Help?

The equivalent to 1 football pitch of forest is lost every second. Annually, WWF estimates that around 8 million hectares of forest are lost, and as a result, 17% of the Amazonian forest has been lost over the last 50 years, together with other forestal areas in Indonesia or Congo. And it’s not only trees – plants, animals, and insect species are disappearing every day at an alarming speed, which can mean the loss of 10,000 – 100,000 species/year, putting the Earth’s balance at risk. Furthermore, the loss of forests also contributes between 12% and 17% to the annual global GHG emissions. But what is causing all this?

Indirectly, probably you or someone you know – representing the side of demand. Directly, the extractive, transformative and consumer goods companies – which represent the side of supply. The truth is that businesses have been expanding the dimension of farmlands and ranchlands, the latter spending huge amounts of water and responsible for the release of greenhouse gases (a topic for another discussion). Other commodities such as palm oil, corn or soy also take a lot of land space and are sometimes associated with deforestation (often done by trees that are illegally cut down or by causing fires), just like mine explorations and urbanization.