HOW IS THE DEFORESTATION OF AMAZON CATALYSING THE UNSTOPPABLE PROCESS OF GLOBAL WARMING?
By: Divisha Gupta
Tags: Nature, Deforestation, Global Warming, Amazon, Brazil

1 Introduction

Agricultural, mining and other industrial activities require a vast area and for this reason, the forests are cleared. This is called deforestation. Deforestation has adverse effects on the world and mankind which are visible in the form of soil erosion, desertification, greenhouse gases and many more.

Amazon rainforest is globally the largest of its kind, sheltering more than 30 million people belonging to 350 different ethnicities. Numerous animals and birds have also made the amazon rainforest their homes. With deforestation of this colossal ecosystem, all these species and people will lose their shelter. In addition to this, since it is the largest carbon dioxide sink in the world, it absorbs a large chunk of carbon dioxide emitted by the entire world which in turn slows down the unstoppable process of global warming.

2 When did the deforestation start?

Prior to 1960, entry into the forest was strictly prohibited and consequently, the reserves were saved and were as green as ever. But that didn’t last long, and people started farming in the remote areas of the Amazon basin. The soil of the amazon rainforest is unsuitable for long-term farming due to degrading soil fertility and pestering by weeds. Thus, the farmers, who were pressurized by the dictators, used the land for farming and after it lost its fertility, moved on for another patch of land. Thus, began the process of deforestation.

3 Further misuse of forests

For the construction of the Trans-Amazonian highway (Rodovia Transamerica) in the 1970s, deforestation was given a boost, and construction of a road in such an ecologically frail region worsened the condition. Moreover, settlements were allowed to be formed and the farmers settled in the region were allowed to carry out farming. The loggers then deforested the areas surrounding the forests.

Another major reason behind the intensive deforestation was the migration of people to the Amazonia in large amounts in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the last decade of the 20th century, the total jungle area which was deforested rose to 587,000 km2. Most of this deforested land was converted to pastures for cattle.

The mean annual deforestation increased to 22,392 km2 in the years between 2001 and 2005 (18% more than the amount deforested in the previous 5 years).

Also, great reserves of fossil fuels beneath the surface of the forest areas encouraged numerous oil drilling activities and thus resulted in further exploitation of natural resources and vegetation. Mining and lumbering also resulted in deforestation in the region.

The loss of green areas was the highest in the past decade. In 2019, the rainforest lost almost 10,129 km2 of forest and around 11,088 km2 of land was deforested in 2020, making it the highest since 2008.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/940696/brazil-amazon-deforestation-rate-area/

In August 2020 alone, the deforestation rate rose to 1,499 km2 which was recorded as the highest in the year. It is the private land areas of the amazon rainforest that suffer the highest amount of deforestation.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030359/brazil-amazon-deforested-area-month/

4 Reserves lost to wildfires in 2019 and 2020

Not much heed was paid by the government regarding the fires which were already visible and were reported by the Brazilian national team for space research (INPE). It was not until the smoke from the burning forests traveled thousands of kilometers to Sau Paulo and blackened its images captured by the satellites hovering over it that NASA raised a question. Reportedly, until August 2019, 40,000+ fires had erupted in the Brazilian legal Amazon (60% of the entire rainforest).

Between May and November 2020, around 2500+ major wildfires broke out in the Brazilian Amazon. The wildfires engulfed a big chunk of the forest out of which 41% were large standing forests whereas the other destroyed parts consisted of croplands and pastures.

Almost 5.4 million acres of Brazilian forests were devastated in the fires. All of this led to an increase in the carbon emission of Brazil by 9.6%.

5 Opinions of the inhabitants

It’s no secret that illegal deforestation is carried out in the region and the citizens shared a common opinion about this. In a survey conducted in Brazil, 92% of the women openly criticized the government for not taking strict action against illegal deforestation but only 89% of the men shared their opinion.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1045397/brazil-opinion-illegal-deforestation-amazon-gender/

In 2019, another survey was conducted to draw the opinions of citizens about the reasons behind the severe deforestation and according to the results, 79% of the people condemned the federal government. 78% of the people also held the farmers responsible for the destruction of the forest whereas 75% of the people blamed the loggers.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1046082/brazil-opinion-responsible-amazon-deforestation/

6 Future aspects that may worsen the condition

6.1 The European union — Mercosur free trade agreement

According to this agreement, the European union and the Mercosur (consisting of the following south American nations: Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina) will get to expand their markets and trade more freely with each other. This agreement, that came to a conclusion in August 2018 after numerous negotiations will involve more than 780 million people.

Since Brazil is a lead exporter of beef, the export of beef will increase under this agreement. One of the prime reasons of deforestation is cattle farming, resulting into almost 80% of it. With this, the Brazilian beef market will be open for further exposure resulting into an increase in cattle farming in the region. Thus, it is estimated to escalate deforestation and thus have adverse effects on the climate.

6.2 Increase in the carbon dioxide levels

Due to deforestation, there will be a noticeable increase in the rates of carbon dioxide. The annual trends support this assumption, and the doubling of carbon dioxide levels is estimated. There are estimations that North America, Europe and Africa will witness a change in their rainfall patterns due to this.

This will undoubtedly have numerous radiative effects in addition to the physiological effects which will indirectly ruin the balance of water and energy in the region. The temperature will also increase by a considerable amount.

The combined effect of deforestation and double amount of carbon dioxide on the forest:

https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/13/1/1520-0442_2000_013_0018_ceodad_2.0.co_2.xml?tab_body=fulltext-display

7 How can we stop deforestation in the region?

As cattle farming contributes to this issue, we can slow down this destructive process by bringing changes in our dietary plans. A lot will change if we make a collective effort by eliminating meats and dairy products. With the plant-based meats and vegan milk products available, this is easier than it was a decade ago. Reducing consumption of paper, oil and wood can also save a bit of the enormous ecosystem that the amazon rainforest contains. And that small bit matters.

Spreading awareness and voicing the opinions of the indigenous people can do more than one may think.

Apart from that, we can also contribute to some organizations which have taken a stand against deforestation or volunteer and give a bit of your precious time into solving mother earth’s problems.

Spread the word by sharing this detailed article.