A group of scientists warned Thursday that world governments must focus on ending deforestation as well as cutting carbon emissions in order to stem the climate crisis. (Photo: Ben Britten/Flickr/cc)
Oct 04, 2018
With a new statement rejecting the notion that drastically curbing emissions alone is enough to curb the threat of human-caused global warming, a group of scientists are urging world leaders to take immediate action to stop deforestation--calling it a key solution to stem the planetary climate crisis.
Forty scientists from five countries signed a statement days before the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is scheduled to meet in South Korea, warning that stopping deforestation is as urgent as ending the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
"We must protect and maintain healthy forests to avoid dangerous climate change and to ensure the world's forests continue to provide services critical for the well-being of the planet and ourselves," the statement read. "Our message as scientists is simple: Our planet's future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forest."
Because forests absorb about a quarter of the carbon released by human activity, the elimination of forests and jungles around the world would release more than three trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere--more than the amount that could be released from all of the world's oil, gas, and coal reserves.
"The forest piece of the conversation is often lost and I don't think the IPCC report will highlight it enough," Deborah Lawrence, a professor at the University of Virginia who signed the statement, told The Guardian.
Deforestation represents a vicious cycle in the fight against the climate crisis. As the burning of fossil fuels leads to a warmer planet, changes in the climate have had multiple effects including wildfires like the ones that have swept through Europe and the U.S. in recent months, contributing to more deforestation which then releases more carbon.
"We will have a hotter, drier world without these forests" Lawrence told The Guardian. "There needs to be an international price on carbon to fund the protection of forests."
The IPCC is scheduled to meet Monday.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
With a new statement rejecting the notion that drastically curbing emissions alone is enough to curb the threat of human-caused global warming, a group of scientists are urging world leaders to take immediate action to stop deforestation--calling it a key solution to stem the planetary climate crisis.
Forty scientists from five countries signed a statement days before the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is scheduled to meet in South Korea, warning that stopping deforestation is as urgent as ending the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
"We must protect and maintain healthy forests to avoid dangerous climate change and to ensure the world's forests continue to provide services critical for the well-being of the planet and ourselves," the statement read. "Our message as scientists is simple: Our planet's future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forest."
Because forests absorb about a quarter of the carbon released by human activity, the elimination of forests and jungles around the world would release more than three trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere--more than the amount that could be released from all of the world's oil, gas, and coal reserves.
"The forest piece of the conversation is often lost and I don't think the IPCC report will highlight it enough," Deborah Lawrence, a professor at the University of Virginia who signed the statement, told The Guardian.
Deforestation represents a vicious cycle in the fight against the climate crisis. As the burning of fossil fuels leads to a warmer planet, changes in the climate have had multiple effects including wildfires like the ones that have swept through Europe and the U.S. in recent months, contributing to more deforestation which then releases more carbon.
"We will have a hotter, drier world without these forests" Lawrence told The Guardian. "There needs to be an international price on carbon to fund the protection of forests."
The IPCC is scheduled to meet Monday.
With a new statement rejecting the notion that drastically curbing emissions alone is enough to curb the threat of human-caused global warming, a group of scientists are urging world leaders to take immediate action to stop deforestation--calling it a key solution to stem the planetary climate crisis.
Forty scientists from five countries signed a statement days before the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is scheduled to meet in South Korea, warning that stopping deforestation is as urgent as ending the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
"We must protect and maintain healthy forests to avoid dangerous climate change and to ensure the world's forests continue to provide services critical for the well-being of the planet and ourselves," the statement read. "Our message as scientists is simple: Our planet's future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forest."
Because forests absorb about a quarter of the carbon released by human activity, the elimination of forests and jungles around the world would release more than three trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere--more than the amount that could be released from all of the world's oil, gas, and coal reserves.
"The forest piece of the conversation is often lost and I don't think the IPCC report will highlight it enough," Deborah Lawrence, a professor at the University of Virginia who signed the statement, told The Guardian.
Deforestation represents a vicious cycle in the fight against the climate crisis. As the burning of fossil fuels leads to a warmer planet, changes in the climate have had multiple effects including wildfires like the ones that have swept through Europe and the U.S. in recent months, contributing to more deforestation which then releases more carbon.
"We will have a hotter, drier world without these forests" Lawrence told The Guardian. "There needs to be an international price on carbon to fund the protection of forests."
The IPCC is scheduled to meet Monday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.