Norwegian monetary power produces results for the global climate. Along with a couple of regime changes in South America. It shows recent figures for the world’s rainforests. The trend in the rainforest countries of Colombia and Brazil is about to reverse. This is good news in a world otherwise marked by gloomy heat records. – This shows that politics is working, says climate and environment minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) to news: Deforestation fell by 29 per cent in Colombia last year, official figures show. New satellite data shows that deforestation in Brazil fell by 33.6 percent during the first six months under the new president. The figures have not yet been independently verified. Since 2015, deforestation has been reduced by 90 percent in Indonesia, reports NICFI. South America, Southeast Asia and Africa are completely dependent on the world’s three largest rainforests. They stabilize the climate, have a cooling effect and supply entire continents with rain. The rainforest is also the most efficient carbon sequestration mechanism available. – These are relatively poor countries. Then it is unreasonable for them to take on the entire burden of a global service. In the rich countries, we have cut down most of our forests, says Eide. This is how the forest binds CO₂, and how it is released again The trees capture the greenhouse gas CO₂ through photosynthesis, which is a chemical process that uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into organic compounds such as carbohydrates. Plants, algae and blue-green bacteria can photosynthesize. CO₂ is released again when organic material in the soil breaks down. This happens, among other things, during felling, when the forest floor is opened up, and decay starts. This in turn affects the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the greenhouse effect. Approximately 1/6 of the annual greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation and forest degradation. Sources: Great Norwegian Lexicon, Bjerknesenteret. The world joins in Through Norway’s Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Norway supports rainforest countries, organizations and civil society that manage to reduce deforestation, with up to NOK 3 billion annually. For 15 years, rainforest conservation has been Norway’s biggest international effort against climate change. Now more and more countries are joining. During the climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, the world agreed to stop and reverse the loss of forests by 2030. The following year, in Sharm el-Sheikh, 26 countries and the EU agreed to cooperate on solutions and financing for sustainable forest management. – Norway is a major power when it comes to rainforest conservation. We are happy to have more people join the team, says Eide. PAPUA, INDONESIA: The rainforest holds the moisture and produces clouds and creates rain over large parts of the Asian continent. Photo: Snorre Tønset / NICFI Regime changes in the Amazon In the vacuum following the dissolution of the FARC guerrillas, armed groups in Colombia have cut down and burned hundreds of acres of rainforest for criminal profit. Now the new president, Gustavo Petro, has included the rainforest in the peace efforts in the country. – In contrast to the previous peace process, the rainforest will have a central place in the peace talks, says Environment Minister Susana Muhamad to The Guardian. One result is that a group of former FARC soldiers has ordered local farmers to stop deforestation. The government has promised to restore destroyed forests, and rewards farmers who do not cut. PROTECTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: Colombia’s government has launched a program to protect local environmental and human rights leaders and safeguard the rights and security of indigenous peoples. Photo: NICFI Things have also turned around for the rainforest in Brazil. The new leftist president, Lula da Silva, appears to be delivering on promises to rein in the illegal logging that was allowed to develop under President Jair Bolsonaro. Landowners who destroy forests face sanctions and limited access to loans. And while Bolsonaro emptied the country’s environmental directorate Ibama of both people and resources, Lula has promised to abolish the enforcement of the law. The threats must be followed up – The expectation that more resources will be put into deforestation has an effect. Land robbery becomes less attractive when bribes become less effective, and sanctions or punishment more likely. That’s what Anders Krogh, senior advisor at Regnskogfondet, says. Nevertheless, he warns against resting on one’s laurels. – The threats must be followed up with actual enforcement of the law. Otherwise, many will quickly start destroying the forest again. Approaching the tipping point But it won’t be good until we are at net zero deforestation. Both the climate minister and the Rain Forest Fund agree on that. In fact, Amazon needs to put on weight. Otherwise, the forest may collapse completely. – It is not enough to stop deforestation. The Amazon must grow, says Krogh. Research shows that the Amazon is getting drier. It is losing its capacity to produce rain. The drought period in the south of the Amazon has become a month longer. The ecosystem changes and drought-tolerant trees become dominant. – A tipping point is approaching, where the forest is unable to produce enough rain to sustain itself. Proposes reduced beef consumption One solution could be for Brazilians and other importing countries to eat less beef, suggests Krogh. Cattle farming is the main reason why rainforests are cut down. An area almost twice the size of Norway is used as grazing land in the Amazon in Brazil alone. – Only 2 per cent of this area would be able to produce the same amount of protein if beans were grown instead, says Krogh and refers to research. PROTEINS: Legumes such as soybeans require far less land per produced protein than cattle. Photo: NICFI
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Sharp decline in rainforest deforestation – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
