Deforestation – The Hidden Cause Of Global Warming

“Deforestation by fire in Borneo causes emissions in the same order of magnitude as the global Kyoto target.”

Tom Spencer, Institute for Environmental Security

As headlined in The Independent (14 May 2007) , deforestation in the tropics is being increasingly acknowledged as the “hidden cause of global warming.”

It is also the easiest, most immediate and efficient area through which to make decisive interventions in the fight against Climate Change - without awaiting utopic ‘technofix’ solutions that are likely to be as costly as they are elusive.

As highlighted in the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, “the loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to global warming each year than the transport sector … curbing deforestation is a highly-cost effective way to reduce emissions; large scale international pilot programmes to explore the best ways to do this could get underway very quickly.”

Through BTRF’s River of Diamonds project portfolio, such programmes are immediately accessible – and promise greater and more long-lasting impact than a plethora of token gestures that fail to scratch at the surface of the Climate Change crisis. By way of perspective:

IN THE 24 HOURS AFTER YOU HAVE READ THIS PAGE, DEFORESTATION WILL RELEASE AS MUCH CO2 INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AS 32 MILLION PEOPLE FLYING FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK. STOPPING THE LOGGERS IS THE FASTEST AND CHEAPEST SOLUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

(Global Canopy Programme)