Saving the Forest for the Trees As a four-seater Cessna glides over Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, Earthjustice attorney Tom Waldo looks out the window at its majestic emerald green and deep blue landscape. The Tongass — America’s largest and wildest national forest — is filled with centuries-old towering trees, ice fields and glaciers, and rivers and fjords flowing among thousands of islands. Like most wild places in America, though, the Tongass is not without its scars. “It’s sobering,” says Waldo. But Waldo’s work, is worth celebrating. Recent Fights for The Tongass On Oct. 15, 2019, the U.S. A Moral — And Legal — Obligation Together with a team of fellow Earthjustice attorneys and a variety of clients, Waldo has spent the last 30 years protecting this old-growth forest from the joined efforts of government and industry to prop up an unsustainable, money-losing logging program that takes no heed of its damaging consequences. “I didn’t really know what to expect from Alaska. A More Holistic Solution: Roadless
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.
How to Save Trees: 5 Ways to Protect Our Forests | Reel From the boreal forests in Canada to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, breathtaking forests populate huge swaths of our planet. Unfortunately, fires, loggers, and more destroy these trees at an alarming rate. If you want to learn how to save trees, you’ve come to the right place. Educating yourself is the crucial first step in the fight for the earth’s forests. Here’s everything you need to know about protecting our forests. The Importance of Healthy Forests Almost 2 billion people rely on the world’s forests for their livelihoods. Perhaps more importantly, though, is the impact of trees on the environment. Learning How to Save Trees at Home As trees around the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate, there are plenty of steps you can take to protect forests. Plant New Trees Without a doubt, the easiest way to support trees is to go out and plant new ones yourself. Buy Rain Forest Alliance Certified Products Support Conservation Organizations Use Tree-Free Products
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
Forests We are fighting to protect forests around the globe from deforestation and degradation — setting them on a path to restoration. Working together with Indigenous Peoples, allies, and individuals like you, we're calling out the industries and companies destroying our forests, and the governments who have failed to protect them. Forests help stabilize the climate, sustain a diversity of life, provide economic opportunity, and are the source of culture for many Indigenous Peoples. The decades of exploitation have destroyed and degraded much of the Earth’s natural forests.
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