Canada Ruins Progress On Global Forest Loss
The World Resource Institute recently released its new evaluation of forest loss worldwide in 2023, focusing on loss in the tropics. Massive Canadian wildfires last summer hurt the sum of the progress elsewhere.
Climate Change –Will This Be The Hottest Year Ever?
Hurricanes –Biggest Year Ever?
The report “Brazil and Colombia See Dramatic Reductions in Forest Loss, But New Fronts Keep Tropical Rates High” states that Canada had record-breaking fire-related forest loss.
The authors wrote: “…the world remains far off track to reach its 2030 goals – in 2023, the tropics lost 3.7 million hectares of primary forest, an area slightly smaller than Bhutan. This is equivalent to losing 10 football (soccer) fields per minute. Brazil and Colombia’s decreases were counteracted by increases in Bolivia, Laos, Nicaragua, and other countries.”
Brazil Improves
Brazil’s contribution to overall primary forest loss was 43% of the global total in 2022, dropping to 30% last year. The report also states that the Democratic Republic of the Congo lost more than half a million hectares of primary rainforest last year. Bolivia’s primary forest loss surged by 27% in 2023. Indonesia’s figure rose 27%. Laos and Nicaragua also showed increased losses.
The most stunning part of the analysis
Fires once again drove forest loss trends outside of the tropics, with 2023’s most concerning fire story taking place in Canada. Like many areas of the world, widespread drought and increased temperatures driven by climate change were widespread across Canada. This led to the worst fire season on record, and a five-fold increase in tree cover loss due to fire between 2022 and 2023.
Massive Smoke Clouds
These fires spread thick smoke as far south as Washinton, DC, and as far west as Minneapolis. One day, they virtually blotted out the sun in New York City. Also, the conditions in Canada have not changed to the extent that fires of the same size could flare up again.
