Where Is Deforestation Happening in 2021?

To combat climate change, it is important to know where deforestation is happening in 2021. Deforestation currently accounts for at least 10 per cent of all global warming emissions. Cutting down trees, and then burning them or leaving them to rot, releases carbon dioxide (CO2). It also prevents forests from absorbing any additional CO2.¹

Two-thirds of global forest cover loss occurs in the tropics and sub-tropics.² Since the 1950s, more than half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed.³ Commodities, such as palm oil, soy, beef, leather, timber, and pulp and paper, drive the vast majority of deforestation. ⁴ 43 million hectares of forest – an area the size of Morocco – was lost between 2004 and 2017.⁵

So, which countries are responsible for destroying the planet’s forests in 2021?

Where is deforestation happening the most in the world?

Brazil

Everyone has heard of the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world. But, did you know that last year, deforestation in Brazil reached its highest rate since 2008?⁶ It lost more than 11,000 square kilometers of forest.⁷ This represents an area greater than the island of Jamaica.⁸ It is also a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year.⁹

The Amazon is home to roughly 30 percent of the world’s plant and animal species.¹⁰ Deforestation is causing an estimated 137 species to go extinct every day.¹¹ Behind this ecological nightmare is the demand for land for cattle ranching. As much as 80 percent of Brazil’s deforestation occurs to make space for cattle ranching.¹² Brazil’s President Bolsonaro has encouraged development in the rainforest. He has cut funding for agencies that fine and arrest those who break environmental laws.¹³

Indonesia

Indonesia’s archipelago is home to Asia’s largest expanse of rainforest. Unfortunately, it also has one of the highest rates of deforestation on Earth. 80 percent of Indonesia remained forested in the 1960s. Now, however, under half of the country’s original forest cover remains. Each year, more than one million hectares of rainforest is cleared.¹⁴

A complex combination of rising demand for commodities – such as palm oil and paper – corruption and uncertainty about land rights has led to this dire situation.¹⁵ However, there is hope that this can be reversed. Indonesia’s primary forest loss dropped significantly in 2019, thanks to forest protection policies enacted in 2016.¹⁶ But, a deregulation bill, pushed through covertly under COVID-19 response legislation in October 2020, threatens these improvements.¹⁷ The new laws will “hinder the ability of NGOs and conservation groups to challenge developments on behalf of small farmers and Indigenous communities”.¹⁸

Clearly, Indonesia’s rainforests and the myriad species that live in them are not safe yet.

Where is deforestation happening in the United States?

In the US, deforestation has occurred since settlers first arrived, and it is still happening at a reduced rate. Since 1600, 75 percent of virgin forests have been destroyed.¹⁹ In the east of America, 99 percent of old-growth forests have been cleared or replaced by secondary-growth forest.²⁰ Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, a monoculture of young trees that are regularly harvested has largely replaced ancient forests.²¹ The forests of the Midwest have been reduced to small islands in a sea of cornfields.²²

Overall, however, anthropogenic deforestation in the US is relatively stable. Drought, wildfire, invasive species, and outbreaks of insects and disease present America’s forests’ biggest challenge. Climate change is exacerbating all of these factors.²³

Can a decrease in deforestation prevent climate change?

Understanding where deforestation is happening in 2021 is crucial if we are to address global warming. Reducing deforestation is “one of the most effective and robust options for climate change mitigation” on a global scale, according to the IPCC.²⁴

Around the world, but particularly in the tropics, more measures need to be taken. However, a reduction in deforestation must be coupled with a curtailment in carbon emissions to successfully prevent a temperature increase of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.²⁵

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