Rainforest is Earth’s most essential ecosystem, and we all depend on it for our survival.
In the Amazon rainforest alone, a single square mile of rainforest often houses more than 50,000 insect species.
Tropical forests have the highest carbon density of all forest types due to their ability for vast carbon sequestration. Therefore, protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions we can take to tackle climate breakdown.
Deforestation releases as much carbon into the atmosphere as the global transport sector and destroys the best carbon capture and storage technology we have.
The reality of climate change is no longer up for debate. It is real and it is happening now. Our changing climate is the most pressing challenge facing our world today. Forest loss plays a major part in this, contributing to more than 12% of all CO2 emissions. Keeping rainforest standing is the simplest and cheapest way to mitigate climate change.
Of the world’s remaining forests,
46% are fragmented,
30% are degraded,
and only 24% are intact
This loss is not just a crisis for the planet but a tragedy for local people who depend upon the forest for everything.
In 2018, over 12 million hectares of rainforest – the size of Belgium – were cut down. With increasing logging, palm plantations and small-scale slash and burn, we need to take action today if we want rainforest to exist in the next 20 years.
Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions we can take to tackle climate breakdown. But keeping pristine, primary rainforest standing strong is also essential for many further reasons: