12 reasons why forests are important | Glo.be 4. Forests give us oxygen A single mature deciduous tree generates enough oxygen for two to ten people. Without oxygen, life as we know it would not be possible. Although the phytoplankton in the oceans accounts for at least half of the world's oxygen, forests thus also play a key role. 5. Water is better absorbed into the soil thanks to trees and forests which improve groundwater recharge and feed springs and rivers. 6. Normal rainfall patterns are heavily dependent on forests, not only because they massively evaporate water, but also because they emit biological particles such as pollen and fungal spores, which can serve as the nuclei of rain droplets or snowflakes.
100 companies are responsible for 71% of GHG emissions Just 100 of all the hundreds of thousands of companies in the world have been responsible for 71% of the global GHG emissions that cause global warming since 1998, according to The Carbon Majors Database, a report recently published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), throwing light on the role companies and investors play in tackling climate change. CDP is a non-profit organization dedicated to global disclosure of information to aid governments, companies and investors with managing their environmental impact. According to the study, since 1988, the year in which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed, over half of the world’s industrial emissions can be traced back to just 25 state companies and entities. Public investor-owned companies: key to decarbonization The CDP report also reveals that 32% of emissions come from public investor-owned companies, making their investors a key agent in the transition to a sustainable economy.
deforestation | Definition & Facts Summary Read a brief summary of this topic deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues in global land use. History Conversion of forests to land used for other purposes has a long history. The extent to which forests have become Earth’s grazing lands is much more difficult to assess. Although most of the areas cleared for crops and grazing represent permanent and continuing deforestation, deforestation can be transient. Modern deforestation The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the annual rate of deforestation is about 1.3 million square km per decade, though the rate has slowed in some places in the early 21st century as a result of enhanced forest management practices and the establishment of nature preserves. A major contributor to tropical deforestation is the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, or swidden agriculture (see also shifting agriculture).
Climate change: 12 years to save the planet? Make that 18 months Image copyright clintspencer Do you remember the good old days when we had "12 years to save the planet"? Now it seems, there's a growing consensus that the next 18 months will be critical in dealing with the global heating crisis, among other environmental challenges. Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5C this century, emissions of carbon dioxide would have to be cut by 45% by 2030. But today, observers recognise that the decisive, political steps to enable the cuts in carbon to take place will have to happen before the end of next year. The idea that 2020 is a firm deadline was eloquently addressed by one of the world's top climate scientists, speaking back in 2017. Media playback is unsupported on your device The sense that the end of next year is the last chance saloon for climate change is becoming clearer all the time. So why are the next 18 months so important? Image copyright Getty Images
SDG15. Life on Land | Global Compact Network Australia Forests cover 30% of Earth’s land area and provide approximately 1.6 billion people, including 70 million indigenous people, with a livelihood.1 Humanity depends on forests as a buffer against climate change through the removal of carbon dioxide in the air or, in the case of mature forests, as a carbon store. Balanced against that environmental need for forests, some 2.4 billion people are dependent upon wood for cooking, heating and electricity, with this demand equivalent to about half of global wood production.2 And deforestation for commercial purposes is mostly linked to agriculture, livestock farming, urbanisation and mining, all of which have a role to play in meeting other development goals. The rate of deforestation has slowed with the planting of new forests, natural expansion of existing forests and land restoration efforts. Australia is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries. How is this relevant to business? What can business do? Act responsibly Find Opportunity
Definition Climate Change Climate is sometimes mistaken for weather. But climate is different from weather because it is measured over a long period of time, whereas weather can change from day to day, or from year to year. The climate of an area includes seasonal temperature and rainfall averages, and wind patterns. Different places have different climates. A desert, for example, is referred to as an arid climate because little water falls, as rain or snow, during the year. Other types of climate include tropical climates, which are hot and humid, and temperate climates, which have warm summers and cooler winters. Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place. In polar regions, the warming global temperatures associated with climate change have meant ice sheets and glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate from season to season. The cause of current climate change is largely human activity, like burning fossil fuels, like natural gas, oil, and coal.
Forests Australia Fast forest facts Total forest area Australia has 134 million hectares of forest, which is:17% of Australia's land areaabout 3% of the world's forest area the seventh largest reported forest area of any country.Australia's forests can be divided into three categories: 'Native forest' covering 132 million hectares 'Commercial plantation' covering 1.95 million hectares 'Other forest' covering 0.47 million hectares. Native forest area Australia's 132 million hectares of native forests are dominated by: eucalypt forests covering 101 million hectares (77% of the native forest area) and acacia forests covering 11 million hectares (8% of the native forest area). Commercial plantation area Australia's 1.95 million hectares of 'Commercial plantation' consist of both softwood species (1.01 million hectares, mostly pines) and hardwood species (0.92 million hectares, mostly eucalypts). Forest tenure For more information, see Indicator 1.1a of Criterion 1 in Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018.
To Save the Planet From Climate Change, Students Take to the Streets | Live Science Image 1 of 8Image 2 of 8Image 3 of 8Image 4 of 8Image 5 of 8Image 6 of 8Image 7 of 8Image 8 of 8 Poisoned for profit Running out of time Striking in Denmark Parisian protest "We build, we rise, we resist" "Save our future" Students step up Climate justice warriors NEW YORK — Classrooms across NYC stood empty today (Sept. 20), while streets in lower Manhattan were packed with students. Young activists such as Greta Thunberg from Sweden, age 16, have recently become vocal advocates for climate change action. Thunberg's sense of urgency about climate change is shared by many young people worldwide. Related: 6 Unexpected Effects of Climate Change In NYC, early estimates placed the number of protesters in the thousands, The Daily News reported. Some students were marching for climate for the first time, joining the rally "because our planet is dying, and no one seems to notice. But restricting further rise in global-temperature average hinges on global action, which has been in short supply.