The 8 Billion mark
Hello,
I found it curious because I could remember something
about the 7 Billion mark…
The population of humans on Earth is expected
to reach eight billion by November 15, according to the United Nations.
Indeed we are just 3 days away from :
https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion
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Since 1990, 420 million hectares of forest have been lost as a result of human activity including land clearing for agricultural farming and logging. As of 2020, forest cover accounts for about 31% of the world’s total land area. Though the rate of deforestation has decreased over the past three decades, we’re losing thousands of hectares more with every passing day. September 2022 went down in history as a record-breaking month for deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest and most important rainforest. Here are 10 stunning deforestation facts you need to know and why we need to protect our forests more than ever.
10 Deforestation Facts
1. We Lose Around 10 Million
Hectares of Forest Every Single Year
The world has been chopping down 10 million
hectares of trees every year to make space to grow crops and livestock, and to
produce materials such as paper. This accounts for about 16% of total tree loss
cover. 96% of deforestation takes place in tropical forests.
2. Deforestation Contributes
about 4.8 Billion Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide A Year
One of the most stunning deforestation facts is
that forest loss contributes nearly 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere every year, which is equivalent to nearly 10% of annual human
emissions. NASA researchers found that accelerated slashing and burning methods
of land clearing in Borneo, the third-largest island in the world and home to
one of the oldest rainforests in the world, contributed to the largest
single-year global increase in carbon emissions in two millenniums, driving
Indonesia up towards a leading source of carbon emissions.
3.75 million hectares of tropical primary
rainforests were lost in 2021 alone. This resulted in 2.5 billion tonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions of
India and nearly 10 soccer pitches a minute.
The farming industry needs to clear substantial
pasture lands for cattle (and livestock) in order to keep up with global demand
for beef. An estimated 81,081 square miles of forest land is lost every year
for meat production, 80% of which occurs in the Amazon. Developed countries
such as the US and China, the latter happens to be the world’s biggest beef
consumer, devouring almost one-third of the world’s meat, are some of the
biggest culprits of deforestation. But developing countries are catching up and
are on track to rise by four times as much as in the developed world by 2028.
Many are calling for people to adopt a plant-based diet as a method of combat
deforestation, which will also help slash greenhouse gas emissions from the
agricultural industry and slow down global warming.
4. Chocolate and Biscuits are
Major Contributors to Deforestation
Aside from beef production, the palm oil
industry is also responsible for a significant amount of deforestation around
the world. Palm oil is used in over two thirds of the food products that we
consume everyday, from vegetable oil to chocolate to biscuits, as well as in
other household products like soap and shampoo. To keep up with the demand,
forest land equivalent to 300 football fields is being cleared every hour to
make room for palm plantations, destroying important habitats of critically
endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger.
Many forests have also been converted into
monoculture plantations, meaning planting the same single plant species across
the land, which not only threatens biodiversity of the ecosystem, but increases
the risks of soil erosion while reducing nutrient content.
5. Brazil and Indonesia
Account for Almost Half of Tropical Deforestation
And one-third of tropical deforestation happens
in Brazil alone. That amounts to approximately 1.7 million hectares each year.
Both Brazil and Indonesia are home to some of the world’s largest and
biodiverse tropical forests in the world. As the agricultural industry continues
to practice land clearing for crop and livestock farming, the threat to
biodiversity only worsens. Studies say observed animal populations have
experienced an average 68% decline in population numbers. In Borneo, Indonesia,
the critically endangered orangutan lost nearly 80% of its population within
the last 50 years.
6. Soy Plays a Big Role in Deforestation
While most think of soy in the form of soy
milk, tofu and other soybean products that make up a plant-based diet, soy in
fact has been mostly used as animal feed and to support the massive demand of
meat production. Animal feed makes up 77% of soy production, while only 19.2%
goes directly into human food products. Globally, soy is responsible for about
12% of deforestation. Due to the fact that soy only offers one yield per life
cycle, soy cultivation requires a lot more land use, where the total area of
land used to cultivate soy takes up the combined area of the Netherlands,
Belgium, France and Germany. Seeking an alternative source of animal feed and
reducing global meat consumption could both significantly drive down the rate
of deforestation.
7. Deforestation Has Turned
the Amazon Rainforest into a Carbon Source
One of the most shocking deforestation facts in
recent years is that the Amazon, the world’s most biologically diverse
ecosystems and important carbon sinks, is found to emit a greater amount of
carbon dioxide than it is absorbing as a result of deforestation, wildfires and
climate change. According to a study between 2010 and 2018, deforestation in
eastern Amazonia has led to greater warming and moisture stress to the forest
especially during dry seasons, making it more susceptible to wildfires. Forest
fires, in turn, produce three times more carbon than the forests can absorb,
creating a negative loop. The study also revealed that the forest emitted about
a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equal to the annual emissions
released in Japan, the world’s fifth-biggest polluter.
8. No Company in the World
Achieved Its Net Zero Deforestation Commitment
A 2020 analysis found that more than half of
the 100 most significant tropical timber and pulp companies have failed to
commit to protecting biodiversity and 44% have yet to publicly commit to net
zero deforestation (meaning the rate of land clearing is equal to the rate of
reforestation or replanting). Out of the companies that have pledged to reach
net zero deforestation by 2020, only eight companies were found to have
deployed comprehensive forest and land-use management practices but none were
able to successfully achieve net zero.
9. Leading Banks Financed $119
Billion to Companies Linked to Deforestation
One of the most shocking facts about
deforestation is that the world’s top global banks and lenders have extended a
total of USD$119 billion of financing to 20 major agricultural companies linked
to deforestation in just the span of five years. Banks such as JPMorgan, HSBC,
and Bank of America were among the biggest investors, backing projects and
businesses including Brazilian meat producer JBS to support its cattle and
poultry farms. Each of the banks have reportedly struck dozens of funding deals
between 2016 and 2020 despite a number of firms having adopted
‘no-deforestation’ policies. There is a glaring lack of monitoring and
enforcing mechanisms in the financial sector, allowing widespread land
degradation to persist.
10. More Than 100 Countries
Have Pledged to End Deforestation by 2030
Despite the current state of deforestation,
there is good news. At last year’s COP26 climate conference, a UN summit for
world leaders to conduct and negotiate policy agreements on emissions reduction
and climate change mitigation, more than 100 countries have joined a pledge to
stop and reverse deforestation by the end of the decade. Combined, these 100+
countries make up 85% of the world’s forests. Some of the most notable signatories
include Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. The pact will see US$19.2 billion of private and public funds to help
combat this global environmental problem, from restoring degraded land and
supporting indigenous communities to mitigating wildfire damage.
About the Author
Olivia is a journalist and
editor based in Hong Kong with previous experience covering politics, art and
culture. She is passionate about wildlife and ocean conservation, with a keen
interest in climate diplomacy. She’s also a graduate of University of Edinburgh
in International Relations with a Master’s degree from The University of Hong
Kong in Journalism. Olivia was the former Managing Editor at Earth.Org.
Fontes/Links:
https://earth.org/deforestation-facts/
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The Castelo Branco Court has handed down the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison to an electrical engineer accused of 16 crimes of forest fire, one of which was aggravated, which occurred between 2017 and 2020 in the Centre region.
500+ experts call on world’s nations to not burn forests to make energy
- Last week, more than 500 top scientists and economists issued a letter
to leaders in the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, urging them to stop
harvesting and burning forests as a means of making energy in converted coal
burning power plants.
- The burning of forest biomass to produce electricity has boomed due to
this power source having been tolerated as carbon neutral by the United
Nations, which enables nations to burn forest biomass instead of coal and not
count the emissions in helping them meet their Paris Climate Agreement carbon
reduction targets.
- However, current science says that burning forest biomass is dirtier
than burning coal, and that one of the best ways to curb climate change and
sequester carbon is to allow forests to keep growing. The EU and UK carbon
neutrality designations for forest biomass are erroneous, say the 500 experts
who urge a shift in global policy:
- “Governments must end subsidies… for the burning of wood…. The
European Union needs to stop treating the burning of biomass as carbon
neutral…. Japan needs to stop subsidizing power plants to burn wood. And the
United States needs to avoid treating biomass as carbon neutral or low carbon,”
says the letter.
More than 500 scientists and economists implored world leaders last week
to stop treating as emissions-free the burning of wood from forests to make
energy and heat, and to end subsidies now driving the explosive demand for wood
pellets. Both actions, they write, are causing escalating deforestation in the
Southeast US, Western Canada and Eastern Europe.
The letter was received Feb. 11 by US President Joseph Biden and
European Union President Ursula Von der Leyen, as well as Charles Michel,
president of the European Council, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and
South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The document is expected to soon be sent to
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“We the undersigned scientists and economists commend each of you for
the ambitious goals you have announced… to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,”
the two-page letter begins. “Forest preservation and restoration should be key
tools for achieving this goal and simultaneously helping to address our global
biodiversity crisis.
However, “We urge you not to undermine both climate goals and the
world’s biodiversity by shifting from burning fossil fuels to burning trees to
generate energy.”
In the EU alone, nearly 60% of renewable energy already comes from
forest biomass, amounting to millions of metric tons of wood pellets burned
annually. The United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Denmark are among the leading
consumers of biomass for energy and heat, while Japan and South Korea are now
converting coal-fired power plants to burn wood pellets.
Under the EU’s second Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) — tolerated by
the United Nations under the Paris Climate Agreement — emissions from burning
forest biomass are not counted at all. This significant carbon accounting
loophole underreports emissions data at a time when global temperatures are
rising fast, causing accelerating drought, devastating storms, destructive
wildfires and sea-level rise nearly everywhere on earth.
Rather than being a carbon neutral climate solution, the scientists
write, cutting forests and burning wood pellets is more polluting than coal,
and “emits more carbon up smokestacks than using fossil fuels,” while
sacrificing the carbon-sequestration capacity of growing trees which is lost to
produce wood pellets.
“Overall, for each kilowatt hour of heat or electricity produced,
[burning] wood initially is likely to add two to three times as much carbon to
the air as using fossil fuels,” says the letter, refuting the policy and
industry claims of biomass zero emissions.
For its part, the biomass industry claims it uses forest management to
selectively log trees from forests and tree plantations, avoiding clearcutting
and preserving carbon stocks. It also claims that replanted trees quickly
reabsorb the carbon released from burned wood pellets. Both assertions are
undermined by NGO-observed clearcutting and accumulating science showing mature
forests absorb and hold far more carbon than seedlings and young trees.
The scientists offered four mandates: end subsidies and other incentives
that promote biomass for energy and heat; in the EU, stop treating biomass as
carbon neutral under REDII, which falsely overstates emission reductions; in
Japan, stop subsidizing power plants to burn wood; and in the US, stop treating
biomass as carbon neutral as the Biden administration establishes new climate rules
and incentives to curb global warming.
“Government subsidies for burning wood create a double climate problem
because this false solution is replacing real carbon reductions,” says the
letter. “Companies are shifting fossil energy use to wood, which increases
warming, as a substitute for shifting to solar and wind, which would truly
decrease warming.”
Last week’s lobbying effort is the latest on behalf of US, European and
Canadian scientists and economists to highlight robust science demonstrating
the negative environmental impacts of biomass-for-energy to world leaders,
whose national bioenergy policies have helped create a multibillion industry
in wood-pellet production.
A similar letter signed by nearly 800 scientists in 2018 lobbied the EU
to alter its biomass policies, to no avail.
Published: 15 February 2021
Link:
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This Nearly Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be the Future of Farming
BY GEMMA TARLACH
OCTOBER 13, 2022
WHEN ZEMEDE ASFAW WAS GROWING up on a farm in eastern Ethiopia, he
soaked up plant lore and other traditional knowledge the way a tree takes in
sunlight and converts it to energy. “I knew the crops, and the wild plants, and
the fruits and other things,” says Zemede, who goes by his given name. The
practical methods he learned covered every aspect of farming: Instead of stone
walls or wire fences, plant field edges with darker crops, so the bold colors
of red sorghum, for example, create a clear border between the family’s plot
and that of a neighbor. Leave a few wild olive or acacia trees in the fields to
harvest sustainably, over time, for firewood, animal fodder, or building
materials. And instead of sowing the seeds of a single grain in orderly rows,
spread a mix of grains all over the field, “mimicking nature so crops have
random distribution patterns, as in natural forests,” he says. Once harvested,
these grain mixtures could be turned into many things: nutritious bread, a kind
of roasted-grain trail mix called kolo, beer, and the potent clear spirit known
as areki.
Now an ethnobotanist at Addis Ababa University, Zemede conducts field
research in northern Ethiopia. The dominant grains grown there are different
than in the region of his youth—his family grew sorghum and maize, while the
northerners prefer barley and wheat, better suited to their mountainous
highlands—but the principle is the same: “We’ll plant the things that go together
and are compatible with each other,” Zemede says. “Our farmers are good at
mirroring nature.”
Ethiopia is one of the few places in the world where farmers still grow
maslins, the general term for different varieties and species of grain that are
sown in the same field, or intercropped. Maslins sustained humans for
millennia, possibly predating the rise of agriculture more than 10,000 years
ago. These grain mixtures tend to be more resilient to pests and drought, and
to lend more complex flavors to breads, beer, and booze.
Worldwide, maslins fell out of favor long ago, replaced nearly
everywhere by sprawling, single-grain monoculture—but a small and passionate
group of scientists, including Zemede, is hoping to change that. A paper
published today in Agronomy for Sustainable Development makes the case for
maslins to be revived by farmers around the world, for tastier bread, healthier
crops, and more sustainable agriculture. The question is, why is it taking so
long?
(…)
“In biology we say diversity must survive,” says Zemede. “If diversity
is lost, then we will be lost.”
Link:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-crop-future-farming-ethiopia
Cereal species mixtures: an ancient practice with
potential for climate resilience. A review
Link:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-022-00832-1
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Samhain
O Samhain
(pronuncia-se “souen” e significa o “fim do verão”) era um festival no qual os
celtas celebravam o final das colheitas, dando as boas-vindas ao Inverno e
tempos difíceis que se avizinhavam.
The start of darker days
Samhain, meaning ‘summer’s end’ is a time to celebrate the dead; it’s a
time when the land of the living can most easily interact with the land of the
dead. The festival marks the beginning of winter and the ‘darker half’ of the
year, but it also heralds the start of the old Celtic new year. Samhain is
traditionally a time for regeneration and reflection. Today, some Pagans still
practice ways of marking the event, but how did our ancient ancestors do it?
Fire and ritual
Traditional rituals focused around the fire. Hearths in the family home
were kept lit while the harvest was gathered, and left to die down and to
eventually go out. The hearth was important as it was the heart of the home, it
was a place where the family would gather, the source of warmth, and also, like
today, where the cooking was done. If the hearth fire was put out by hand, it
was believed it would anger the gods, and so it was left to dwindle – the dying
fire perhaps symbolising the final passing moments of the year.
The fire was only relit after the harvest and the start of the old
Celtic new year. The community, alongside Druid priests, would gather to create
a sacred bonfire to honour the dead, using a wooden wheel to spark the fire. It
was from this fire that a flame was taken back to each home to relight the
hearth. The wheel is an important symbol in Pagan religion as it represents the
sun and its associated qualities of daylight, warmth and hope. The Pagan year
is also divided in a ‘wheel of the year’, marking out the annual cycle of solar
festivals such as Samhain, Ostara (the Spring Equinox) and Litha (Summer
Solstice).
Festivals and feasts
Along with the ritual element, Samhain would also have been a time to
celebrate. People from the community would have brought harvest food for a
great feast, and some would even wear costumes made from animal skins or heads.
The offering of cattle bones onto the bonfire would also have played a key part
in proceedings, and in fact the name ‘bonfire’ derives from this ‘bone fire’.
Amidst all the festivities there was a darker side, however, and there
could be a price to pay if you didn’t make an offering or take part in
proceedings. The deities associated with the festival would be very cross
indeed, and their punishment? It could be illness or even death. You really had
to keep the gods onside or suffer as a result.
Samhain today
Samhain is still observed by some Pagans today, though these days the
celebrations are a little more private. Feasting still plays an important part
in observing the festival, along with private prayer and small ceremonies in
the home. Apple-bobbing might form part of festivities, and small bonfires may
be lit. Time is also spent outdoors appreciating nature, and altars to the
ancestors are set up.
Remembrance of the dead remains the focus throughout. At its core, Samhain is a chance to reconnect with passed loved ones and celebrate their lives. Although the modern, more commercialised version of ‘Halloween’ now dominates the date today, it’s important for us to reflect on its spiritual origins, to pause, and offer a moment’s reverence.
Celtic Samhain
Celtic Samhain simply means the ‘end of summer for the Celts in
Ireland’. It was not and could not be celebrated on a catholick calendar
because Samhain existed thousands of years before the Roman Emperor Constantine
the Great created the catholick (universal) church to instill spiritual fear
into his subjects in 325ad.
Samhain fue
la festividad más importante del mundo Celta en Europa, en un principio, se
celebraba entre el 5 y el 7 de noviembre que correspondía a la mitad entre el
equinoccio de otoño y el solsticio de invierno. Más tarde, fue el papa Gregorio
III (741) quien pasó la fiesta al 1 de noviembre, absorbiendo de esta manera la
festividad pagana (ya que hasta entonces el mundo cristiano celebraba el día de
Todos los santos el 13 de mayo)
https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/articles/samhain-the-precursor-to-halloween/
https://www.cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com/samhain
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“Today we face the double, interlinked emergencies of human-induced
climate change and the loss of biodiversity, threatening the well-being of
current and future generations.”
So begins the executive summary of the Living
Planet Report 2022. Released every two years by the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF), the study examines global biodiversity and the health of the
planet. The latest report reveals an average 69% drop in world vertebrate
species in less than 50 years.
Links:
https://livingplanet.panda.org/pt-PT/
https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
The report considers nearly 32,000 populations of 5,230 species from the
Living Planet Index (LPI). Provided by the Zoological Society of London, the
index tracks trends in species abundance around the world. This year’s report
includes data on more than 838 new species and 11,000 new populations since the
last report was released in 2020.
In addition to putting numbers to species declines, the report shows the
threats behind those drops, how these statistics relate to planetary health,
and offers possible solutions.
The report details the connection between climate change and
biodiversity loss and focuses on some species that have plummeted, as well as
some that have rebounded.
For example:
There was an estimated 80% plunge in the population of eastern lowland
gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo
between 1994 and 2019. The main threat to the species, also known as Grauer’s
gorilla, is hunting.
Hunting was one of the main causes of the 64% decline in Australian sea
lion pups in South and Western Australia between 1977 and 2019. The pups are
also often caught in fishing gear and die from diseases.
But there have been some promising discoveries with species that have
been recovering.
The population of loggerhead turtle nests grew by 500% on the coast of
Chrysochou Bay in Cyprus from 1999 to 2015. Credit conservation efforts that
include relocating nests and using cages to protect others from predators.
Conservation measures have also helped mountain gorillas. In the Virunga
Mountains along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Uganda, populations of mountain gorillas increased to 604 animals,
up from 480 gorillas in 2010.
Rebecca Shaw, WWF's chief scientist, spoke to Treehugger about the
highlights and lowlight of the report.
(…)
Why is this report important?
This report is an indicator of overall ecosystem health from the lens of
biodiversity, the web of life that supplies the clean air, water, and soil we
all rely on. These findings are a red flag that warns of a larger systems
failure on the horizon. Even one species population decline can affect other
species, eventually impacting an ecosystem’s ability to function. While some
fluctuation in population sizes is natural, the current trends are severe
enough to threaten many life-sustaining systems. Humans depend on a stable
climate, predictable precipitation patterns, and productive farmland and
fisheries to thrive. Our planet needs us to take action now so that it can
continue to support future generations.
Links:
https://www.treehugger.com/wildlife-populations-dropped-69-finds-wwf-report-6747779
https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
https://livingplanet.panda.org/pt-PT/
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The BBC's Joe Crowley and Tim Robinson investigate the British company
that makes and burns wood pellets for electricity
Link:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-63123774
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Fontes/Links: https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2024/12/21/milhares-de-pessoas-celebram-o-solsticio-de-inverno-em-stonehenge.ghtml ΦΦΦ
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