{"id":655,"date":"2021-03-10T16:30:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T16:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=655"},"modified":"2022-07-01T15:00:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T15:00:43","slug":"deforestation-case-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/deforestation-case-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Deforestation: Case Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
Deforestation<\/a> is putting our planet at risk, as the following case studies exemplify. It is responsible for at least 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and wipes out 137 species of plants, animals and insects every day<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span>. The deplorable practice degenerates soil, losing half of the world’s topsoil over the past 150 years.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Deforestation also leads to drought by reducing the amount of water in the atmosphere.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Since the 1950s, deforestation has accelerated significantly, particularly in the tropics.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This is primarily due to rapid population growth and a resultant increase in demand for food and resources.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Agriculture drives about 80 per cent of deforestation today, as land is cleared for livestock, growing animal feed or other crops.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The below deforestation case studies of Brazil\u2019s Amazon rainforest and the Congo Basin provide further insights into modern deforestation.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest \u2013 the largest rainforest in the world \u2013 is within Brazil\u2019s national borders.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Any examination of deforestation case studies would be incomplete without considering tree felling in Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Humans first discovered the Amazon rainforest about 13,000 years ago. But, it was the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century that spurred the conversion of the forest into farmland. Nevertheless, the sheer size of the Amazon meant that the rainforest remained largely intact until the early 20th century. It was in the latter half of the 20th century that things began to change.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDeforestation case study: Brazil<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
History of deforestation in Brazil<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n