Deforestation in 2021

Since the 1950s, deforestation has been rampant in the tropics.¹ In the past 70 years, more than half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed.²

Agriculture is the main driver of deforestation. It is responsible for at least 80 per cent of the practice.³ Cutting trees down is a major contributor to climate change. It releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and accounts for more than 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.⁴ Reducing deforestation in 2021 will be pivotal to protecting the planet.

Climate change targets

We must limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as warned by the IPCC.⁵ Virtually every country on Earth recognises this under the Paris Agreement.⁶ 196 signatories are legally bound to reach the peak of their greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and aim to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.⁷ Central to this objective is a massive reduction in deforestation, coupled with a curtailing of fossil fuel usage.⁸

Deforestation in Brazil in 2021

The present situation in the world’s largest rainforest may therefore seem counterintuitive. In 2020, the rate of deforestation in Brazil reached its highest point since 2008.⁹ A total of 4,281 square miles of tree cover were lost throughout the year.¹⁰ That’s an area as large as Jamaica.¹¹ 

The policies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are largely culpable for stimulating the increased deforestation. His election campaign focussed on exploiting the Amazon rainforest for its natural resources.¹² Environmental agencies have been drained of funding since he took office in 2019. The President’s new budget proposed for environmental protection is the smallest in 13 years.¹³ By hiring officials who promote softer tactics against illegal logging, the illicit activity has surged in 2021.¹⁴

The election of Joe Biden

There is hope that US President Joe Biden’s election portends a shift for Brazil’s deforestation in 2021 and beyond. Bolsonaro’s key international ally was Donald Trump, a like-minded anti-environmentalist.¹⁵ Without his backing, international pressure on Bolsonaro regarding the deforestation of the Amazon will increase substantially.¹⁶

Biden has the most ambitious approach to tackling climate change of any US president. He aims to make US electricity production carbon-free by 2035 and to achieve national net zero emissions by 2050.¹⁷ Attaining emission neutrality requires the offsetting of emissions, for instance, through planting more trees. In recognition of the importance of saving existing trees, he has also promised USD $20 billion to protect the Amazon.¹⁸

Preventing climate change by reducing deforestation in 2021

In many ways, conserving and enhancing the Amazon and other rainforests is key to preventing climate change. Planting new trees may eventually help to remove carbon from the atmosphere, but it can take decades to do so.¹⁹ If deforestation continues at the current rate, it will be too late for current afforestation efforts to prevent a calamitous increase in global temperature. It would also fail to save the 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity that live in primary forests.²⁰ 

We must therefore protect the forests we already have whilst enhancing them by planting new trees. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is also necessary to counter global warming successfully. 

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