Ripping through rainforests

We are bulldozing our way to a derelict planet, deficient in trees, biodiversity and life. With our short term greed for animal agriculture, the long term consequences of deforestation are overlooked. As these repercussions begin catching up with us, it’s time to take action.

Rapidly diminishing forests

Since 2002, an area the size of Belgium has been cleared from global forests every year, and agriculture is the cause of 40% of this loss (Conservation.org). Tearing through forests at this rate is dangerous for carbon levels, ecosystems and biodiversity. 

Trees have given us a pretty good deal. They absorb carbon dioxide that we don’t want in the atmosphere and, in return, provide us with oxygen to breathe. Yet here we are, chopping them down without a second thought. It is estimated that forests absorb 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 every year; that’s the equivalent of a third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels (IUCN. 2021). They are essential carbon sinks. 

Additionally, forests hold a tremendous amount of carbon, more than 228-247 gigatons (WWF). Hence, as we chop, burn, and remove forests, where does all this carbon go? You guessed it, straight into the atmosphere. Therefore, deforestation and the degradation of forests are responsible for 15% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (WWF). 

Additionally, clearing land means clearing animal habitats. As we remove these habitats and replace them with undiverse monocrops covered in pesticides, we are further threatening surrounding habitats and biodiversity (Greenpeace. 2020). This is a severe issue, driving species towards extinction. There are currently an estimated 1 million species at risk of extinction (Greenpeace. 2020); this is happening at a rate up to a thousand times faster than what would naturally occur, all at the fault of humans. Therefore, we must focus on conserving biodiversity instead of removing animal habitats and pushing them to the brink of extinction. 

The role of agriculture

A primary driver of deforestation is agriculture. 

In order to plant more and more crops, more and more forest areas are cleared. Agriculture now covers 38.5% of the total global land area (Rojas-Downing, M. et al. 2017), an astonishing amount of land, at the cost of natural habitats and forests. In every Amazon country, more than 90% of the land that’s been cleared since 1970 has been for livestock grazing, and the main crop, soya, is headed straight to animal feed (PETA).

With cows eating a whopping 45kg of food a day, it becomes less surprising that 9% of available cropland in the US is used to grow crops to feed them (WWF. 2019). This method of creating food highlights how broken our food system is. Instead of providing soya directly to humans, we first put it through a hefty animal that uses up land and water to pollute the environment with GHGs. The clear solution: cut out the cow. 

Turning the problem around

No rainforests will be cleared in the production of cellular agriculture; instead of vast stretches of land, we just need a laboratory. Therefore, preventing the further clearance of natural habitats and allowing for more efficient land use. 

RethinkX (2020) predicts that due to advancements in technology, such as precision fermentation in protein production, by 2035, 60% of the land currently taken up with livestock and feed production will be released for other purposes. Suppose we dedicate all this freed up land to reforestation and returning these areas to carbon sinks; then by 2035, all current sources of US GHGs could be offset (RethinkX. 2020). Let’s hope their predictions come true!!

Agriculture is currently contributing GHGs, while destroying the most essential method of removing GHGs, a double hit of bad news for the atmosphere. However, if we can halt deforestation and turn our food systems away from animals, then we need these trees to help fight rising carbon levels. 

References 

Conservation.org. Deforestation: 11 facts you need to know. https://www.conservation.org/stories/11-deforestation-facts-you-need-to-know 

Greenpeace. 2020. Biodiversity and the Amazon rainforest. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/biodiversity-and-the-amazon-rainforest/ 

IUCN. 2021. Forests and climate change. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/forests-and-climate-change 

PETA. Fight climate change with diet change. https://www.peta.org/features/fight-climate-change-with-diet-change/ 

RethinkX. 2020. Food and agriculture: Executive summary. https://www.rethinkx.com/food-and-agriculture-executive-summary 

Rojas-Downing, M. et al. 2017. Climate change and livestock: impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. Climate risk management, 16, pp 145-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.02.001 

WWF. Threats: deforestation and forest degradation. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation 

WWF. 2019. Milk’s impact on the environment. https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/winter-2019/articles/milk-s-impact-on-the-environment