Africa's Fading Green: How Human Activity Is Turning The Continent's Forests Into Carbon Sources
A new study has revealed a stark transformation in Africa's forests - from carbon sinks to carbon sources. The alarming shift, which began since 2010, signifies the devastating impact of human activities on the continent's rainforests.
Satellite data and machine learning have been used by researchers to track changes in tree biomass and vegetation over more than a decade. Their findings indicate that African forests lost approximately 106 billion kilograms of biomass per year between 2010 and 2017, equivalent to the weight of about 106 million cars.
The loss is most pronounced in tropical moist broadleaf forests in Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and parts of west Africa. The study reveals a critical turning point - while African forests gained carbon from 2007 to 2010, widespread forest loss since then has tipped the balance, causing the continent to contribute more CO2 into the atmosphere.
The researchers underscore the urgent need for action to stop deforestation or risk losing one of the world's most crucial natural carbon buffers. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), launched by Brazil, aims to mobilise over $100 billion for forest protection through payments to countries that leave their forests untouched.
However, progress has been slow, with only a handful of nations investing a total of $6.5 billion in the initiative. Experts argue that policymakers must take immediate action to put better safeguards in place to protect these vital ecosystems.
"We need to scale up the TFFF rapidly," says Prof Heiko Balzter, director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester. "Policymakers declared their intention to end global deforestation by 2030, but progress is not being made fast enough."
The study highlights the devastating consequences of human activities such as mining and agricultural expansion on Africa's forests. It emphasizes the need for governments and private investors to counteract these drivers of deforestation and invest in forest conservation efforts.
The fate of Africa's forests hangs in the balance, and it is imperative that policymakers take decisive action to protect these vital ecosystems before they're lost forever.
A new study has revealed a stark transformation in Africa's forests - from carbon sinks to carbon sources. The alarming shift, which began since 2010, signifies the devastating impact of human activities on the continent's rainforests.
Satellite data and machine learning have been used by researchers to track changes in tree biomass and vegetation over more than a decade. Their findings indicate that African forests lost approximately 106 billion kilograms of biomass per year between 2010 and 2017, equivalent to the weight of about 106 million cars.
The loss is most pronounced in tropical moist broadleaf forests in Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and parts of west Africa. The study reveals a critical turning point - while African forests gained carbon from 2007 to 2010, widespread forest loss since then has tipped the balance, causing the continent to contribute more CO2 into the atmosphere.
The researchers underscore the urgent need for action to stop deforestation or risk losing one of the world's most crucial natural carbon buffers. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), launched by Brazil, aims to mobilise over $100 billion for forest protection through payments to countries that leave their forests untouched.
However, progress has been slow, with only a handful of nations investing a total of $6.5 billion in the initiative. Experts argue that policymakers must take immediate action to put better safeguards in place to protect these vital ecosystems.
"We need to scale up the TFFF rapidly," says Prof Heiko Balzter, director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester. "Policymakers declared their intention to end global deforestation by 2030, but progress is not being made fast enough."
The study highlights the devastating consequences of human activities such as mining and agricultural expansion on Africa's forests. It emphasizes the need for governments and private investors to counteract these drivers of deforestation and invest in forest conservation efforts.
The fate of Africa's forests hangs in the balance, and it is imperative that policymakers take decisive action to protect these vital ecosystems before they're lost forever.
africa's forests are literally just dying left & right because of humans. i get that deforestation is a big problem but like what can we do about it tho? 
i mean, $6.5 billion out of $100 billion is kinda meh... maybe if we just threw more money at the problem, things would change faster? 
like, i know its not that easy, but a guy's gotta try, right? 
I'm getting really worried about our planet's future... Have you guys ever been to a national park or just sat in a forest for a bit? It feels like we're losing this precious resource at an alarming rate. 
The numbers are crazy - 106 million cars' worth of carbon lost every year! 
What can we do about it? I think we need to start seeing deforestation as a global issue, not just something that happens in other countries. We gotta take responsibility for our own actions and support organizations like the TFFF more widely. It's time to make some changes...
this is so sad!! african forests are literally becoming a carbon source 
the weight of 106 million cars is crazy!!! 
i feel like we're failing the planet and our future generations 
what's wrong with our priorities?! 
we need to take action ASAP and support organizations like TFFF 
this is crazy...Africa has so much potential for growth, but we're destroying its most valuable resource - the forests. We can't just sit back and watch them turn into carbon sources 
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. The TFFF initiative is a good start, but $6.5 billion just doesn't cut it when we're talking about saving an entire ecosystem 
. It's not just about numbers; it's about the lives lost, the biodiversity displaced... and what does that even cost us? 
I mean, $6.5 billion sounds like a lot, but it's not even close to what we need 
and make sure all countries are on board 
Let's do this for Africa's forests and the future of our planet 
. I mean, 106 million cars' worth of biomass being lost every year is crazy! We need to think outside the box here. What if we could find sustainable ways for African countries to make money from their forests without destroying them? Like, reforestation programs that actually work and get the communities involved? 
️ the TFFF initiative sounds like a great start but we gotta see some major progress here 
. Deforestation is like a slow-moving train wreck – the damage might not be immediately visible, but the consequences are catastrophic 
. We need to take immediate action to stop the destruction of Africa's forests and preserve our planet for future generations 
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2030 by the way sounds like a reasonable target for ending global deforestation, let's hope policymakers can make some real progress soon 
and it's not just about Africa either - deforestation is happening everywhere in the world we need more than just $6.5 billion to stop this but I guess if it's all about scaling up the TFFF initiative maybe we'll see some change soon 
$100 billion sounds great but if we don't see more investment and progress soon, we'll be in big trouble. 