Deforestation raises CO2
While our government is talking ‘green’ and doing little to ‘be green’, a major cause of global warming goes unnoticed and virtually unreported. I knew that deforestation was damaging the environment, but I never knew it was as devastating as this. According to a fascinating article in The Independent today, just 24 hours of deforestation releases as much CO2 as 8 million people flying from London to New York. The figures in the article make very scary reading, for example, 2 billion tons of CO2 is released each year from deforestation and accounts for roughly a quarter of global emissions. 50 million acres of forest is destroyed every year. That’s an area the size of mainland UK.
This really puts into perspective how difficult the struggle to contain CO2 emissions really is. All that we do as individuals, or even as a country, can amount to nothing if other countries do not do as much. This has to be a global effort, there has to be world-wide consensus and action. Words and token gestures are not enough. Political sound-bites may impress some, but what we need is action. The richer nations have to put money into schemes and projects on a global scale to help poorer countries reduce their CO2 emissions. Will it happen? I do not think it will. Are there any political leaders prepared to take the necessary action? I for one do not think so.
