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Forests
A team of scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Birdlife International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) used satellite data to build a map of forests that have been regenerated around the globe since 2000 and determined that when added together it equals an area the size of France. Those new forests “have the […]
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The state of California is already warning, that due to the 2-year ongoing drought, this year’s fire season could be worse than last. Overall, more than 6,390 square miles burned in 10,431 wildfires in California in 2020 — it was the largest wildfire season recorded in California’s modern history. Five of the state’s largest wildfires happened last year. […]
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Corporations attempting to reduce their carbon footprint in the short run are restoring forests as a way of offsetting the carbon they release into the atmosphere. But some of these initiatives may be less effective than advertised. They are alleged to have inflated the amount of carbon saved from corporate ownership or claimed to protect land that was never under threat of logging.
Why this Matters: In 2020, companies bought more than 93 million carbon credits, equivalent to the pollution from 20 million cars in a year, a 33% increase over 2019.
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On the first day of President Biden’s Global Climate Summit, the United States, Britain, and Norway announced that they are teaming up with the world’s most influential companies to incentivize nations to protect tropical forests by mobilizing at least $1 billion this year for large-scale projects.
Why This Matters: Tropical forests are one of the world’s largest carbon sinks and one of the most quickly deteriorating.
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As President Biden’s April 22 climate summit approaches, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico has announced by video that he will propose a new migration agreement between the nations of North America this week. This proposal would ask Central American and Mexican emigrants to work planting trees and crops in Mexico for three years in exchange for a six-month U.S. work visa and eventually the right to apply for U.S. citizenship.
Why This Matters: As global temperatures warm, there will be a surge of predominantly impoverished climate refugees and migrants to many countries including here.
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer The world might have come to a standstill in 2020, but a global survey released Wednesday showed that tree loss continued full speed ahead. Over 100,000 square miles of tree cover, an area roughly the size of Colorado, was lost to wildfires, drought, logging, and insect infestation despite COVID-19 lockdowns across the […]
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