Tropical primeval forests in danger: destruction reaches new record!

Tropical primeval forests in danger: destruction reaches new record!

Vienna, Österreich - The destruction of tropical primeval forests reached alarming proportions in 2024. According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), a total of 6.7 million hectares of tropical forest were destroyed, which corresponds to the area of ​​Panama. This has been the highest level since the beginning of data collection in 2002, such as vienna.at . According to the WRI-CO director Elizabeth Goldman, the unprecedented extent of the destruction is not only for the variety of biodiversity, but also for the CO2 storage of extreme importance.

It is particularly worrying that almost half of the destruction, with an emission of 3.1 billion tons of CO2, is due to forest fires. These fires are mostly man -made and have been reinforced by climate change. In addition, 2024 was the hottest year since the beginning of the weather records, which was due to the climate phenomenon El Niño.

climate change and forest fires

In February 2024, almost 3,000 forest fires were registered in the Brazilian Amazon region. According to the Copernicus' EU-observation program, these fires, together with fires in Bolivia and Venezuela, expired 4.1 megatons CO2. In Venezuela, the emissions were 5.2 megatons, and Bolivia was recorded with 0.3 megatons, such as Tagesschau.de

This drought, which ruled in 2024, led to the worst forest fires since the beginning of the records in 1999. Experts suspect that the El Niño phenomenon played a decisive role in the historical drought in the Amazon region. Climate change has also increased the likelihood of such droughts 30 times.

global effects of forest destruction

The situation not only affects Brazil, but also other countries such as Bolivia, which takes second place in the destruction of tropical forests. This destruction has tripled compared to the previous year, also mainly due to fires. The situation in the Congo also deteriorated in 2024, while in Indonesia and Malaysia progress in protecting the tropical forests were made.

The historical causes of forest destruction range from demand for palm oil, soy, beef and wood to new challenges through increased demand for products such as avocados and cocoa beans. In addition, mining and the demand for certain metals contribute to the progressive destruction of the forests and increases the situation.

according to spektrum.de This is a problematic signal not only for Brazil, but for forests worldwide that suffer from dryness, harmful insects and increasing pressure from agricultural uses. Despite the negative developments, the forests worldwide still show a positive balance in CO2 absorption, which means that they can record more CO2 than they lose.