Nov 05, 2021

Chart of the Day: Amid Forest of Promises, Amazon Clearcutting Hits 12-Year High

Posted Nov 05, 2021 12:49 PM
<b><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/list/amazon-rainforest/">Mongabay Conservation Report</a> and <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/cop-26-amazonias-indigenous-peoples-are-vital-to-fighting-global-warming-commentary/">COP26 Commentary</a></b>
Mongabay Conservation Report and COP26 Commentary

World leaders have gathered in Glasgow for COP26, the two-week long United Nations conference on climate change, and they didn't waste any time announcing some big goals. 

Most notable of those is a promise to end deforestation by 2030, which has been signed by more than 100 world leaders, including - crucially - Brazil, which is home to the Amazon rainforest, one of the largest carbon sinks on the planet. Getting Brazil on board, even at this early stage, is vital as deforestation has picked up again in the Amazon in the last few years, hitting a 12-year high last year. 

A little less conversation, a little more action 

All told the countries that have signed account for roughly 85% of the world's forests, suggesting good global support, although cynics will point to the last agreement from 2014, that failed to do much of anything. Perhaps this time there will be more action.