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Tree plantings and climate impact

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Planting trees is a key strategy in the fight against climate change.  Trees absorb carbon dioxide, regulate temperature, support biodiversity, and improve air and water quality, offering benefits that extend well beyond their boundaries.

But according to a new study by researchers from University of California – Riverside, where those trees are planted makes a big difference.  The study, which was recently published in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science, found that tree plantings are almost always a net positive for the climate because trees pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. But the impact of trees on temperature varies a lot by region.

In tropical regions, trees deliver the biggest cooling benefits.  They not only absorb carbon but also cool the air through a process called evapotranspiration.  Roots draw water from the soil, and when it evaporates from the leaves, it cools both the tree and the air around it.  This also raises humidity, which can lead to more clouds.  Both effects block some sunlight from reaching the ground, which adds to the cooling.

The researchers estimated that tropical tree plantings could cool regions like central Africa by as much as eight-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit. 

In contrast, planting trees at higher latitudes may have a slight warming effect.  Darker tree canopies absorb more sunlight, which can offset some of the cooling.  In some places, such as Canada and the northeastern U.S., trees may even increase fire risk.  But this does not mean trees in those regions are unhelpful.  They provide many other benefits for biodiversity, ecosystems, and the environment. 

But one thing is clear: planting trees in the tropics offers the strongest returns for the climate.

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Trees in the tropics cool more, burn less

Photo, posted September 15, 2024, courtesy of Jan Helebrant via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Rainforests and thunderstorms

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Tropical forests are dying at an alarming rate, and not just from deforestation. Even intact forests are losing trees, threatening biodiversity, carbon storage, and the global climate. While drought and rising temperatures are often blamed, new research points to a surprising culprit: thunderstorms.

These intense, short-lived convective storms, common in the tropics, are increasing due to climate change. With strong winds and lightning, they can snap trees, strip canopies, and kill even the most robust tree specimens.

In a perspective paper recently published in the journal Ecology Letters, a research team led by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies argues that thunderstorms, often overlooked in carbon storage research, may be the leading cause of tree death in tropical forests. The research team estimates that storms have caused 30 to 60% of tree mortality in the past, a number that is likely rising as storm activity increases 5 to 25% each decade.

Including storm data in forest carbon studies changes the picture significantly. Earlier models showed that carbon levels dropped sharply when temperatures rose beyond a certain point. But when storm impacts were added, that pattern disappeared, suggesting that storms – not just heat – may be a key factor in carbon loss.

Understanding which species are most vulnerable is critical for reforestation and conservation efforts. Mature trees store the most carbon, so if they’re lost to storms, future forests may fall short of their carbon storage potential.

As storm activity increases each decade, the stakes grow higher.  Accounting for storms could reshape how we protect, restore, and plan for the future of our forests. 

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Are the Amazon’s biggest trees dying? Forest coroners investigate

Photo, posted July 2, 2017, courtesy of Anna & Michal via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Regrowing forests naturally

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Deforestation is one of the major causes of climate change and restoring and enhancing forests is a major activity around the world as a way to mitigate its effects.  There are high-profile initiatives to plant millions of trees, but these projects are often ill-conceived and poorly managed.

One of the most dramatic failures was the planting of over a million mangrove seedlings on the Filipino island of Luzon back in 2012.  A study 8 years later found that fewer than 2 percent of the trees had survived.  The rest died or were washed away.

The causes of failure in tree planting programs include planting of trees that become vulnerable to disease, competing demands for land, changing climate, planting in areas not previously forested, and a lack of aftercare including watering seedlings.

A multinational study recently published in Nature has found that forests could regrow naturally on more than 800,000 square miles of land around the tropics without the need for planting trees by hand.  This is an area larger than Mexico.

The researchers mapped areas where forests would be likely to regrow – areas where soils are healthy and where there is already forest nearby to supply seeds.  In some places, lands are so degraded that it is necessary to plant trees by hand, but this is costly and prone to failure.  Forests that regrow naturally tend to fare better and make better habitats for wildlife.

The effect of regrown forests on the climate would be very substantial.  If these forests were allowed to grow for three decades, they would absorb enough carbon to offset 50 years of emissions by Australia, the home of the lead researcher of the study. 

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Tropical Forests Could Regrow Naturally on Area the Size of Mexico

Photo, posted February 16, 2018, courtesy of Jason Houston / USAID via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Mangrove forests and rising seas

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Mangrove forests play a vital role in the health of our planet.  They protect coastal regions by acting as natural barriers against storms, erosion, and flooding. The intricate root systems of mangrove forests, which allow the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, also serve as biodiversity hotspots, attracting fish and other species seeking food and shelter from predators.

But mangrove forests around the world are under increasing threat from deforestation, coastal development, and climate change.  In fact, according to a new study led by researchers from Northumbria University in England, the mangrove trees in the Maldives are actually drowning. 

The research, which was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that sea levels around the Maldives rose more than 1.18 inches per year from 2017 to 2020.  An unusually intense climate phenomenon, known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, occurred toward the end of this period, causing warmer sea surface temperatures and an increase in sea level in the Western Indian Ocean. 

While mangrove forests can naturally keep pace with gradually rising seas, this rate of sea level rise was too fast.  The rising sea level meant that seawater effectively flooded mangrove forests, causing many trees to lose their resilience and die.  Some islands in the Maldives have lost more than half of their mangrove cover since 2020.

Since mangrove forests also store massive amounts of carbon, the research team fears that the loss of mangrove forests could release large amounts of carbon, further accelerating climate change.

The researchers warn that the findings in the Maldives could have implications for coastal ecosystems around the world.

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“Drowning” mangrove forests in Maldives signal global coastal threat

Photo, posted February 11, 2015, courtesy of Alessandro Caproni via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Big Food and greenhouse gas emissions

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The global food system is responsible for as much as 40% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. The investor advocacy group Ceres has tracked whether the 50 largest North American food and agriculture companies have set targets to lower their emissions and whether doing so has actually resulted in lower emissions.

The emissions from food and agriculture companies are grouped into three so-called scopes.  Scope 1 are emissions from a company’s direct operations.  Scope 2 are emissions from its energy use.  Scope 3 are emissions from a company’s supply chain:  from the farmers who grow crops, raise cattle, and otherwise provide necessary items for a company’s final products.  In the food industry, the scope 3 category is responsible for about 90% of overall emissions.

Of the 50 food companies studied, 23 reduced their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions over the past 2 years, but only 12 reduced their scope 3 emissions.  Companies have more control over their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. 

Reducing scope 3 emissions is more difficult.  And most companies haven’t set scope 3 reduction targets. 

The findings of the study suggest that reducing scope 3 emissions is especially difficult for companies whose supply chains are linked to carbon-intensive commodities, like meat, or crops linked to deforestation or land-use change, both of which result in increased emissions.

In March, the Securities and Exchange Commission finalized rules requiring companies to disclose their climate risk to regulators, increasing the visibility of the food industry emissions issue.

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North America’s Biggest Food Companies Are Struggling to Lower Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Photo, posted October 13, 2011, courtesy of the United Soybean Board via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wildfires and carbon storage

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Forests are known to be a key natural solution to the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  For this reason, there are widespread efforts to plant more trees around the world and to prevent increasing deforestation for development and agriculture.  But a new study has highlighted the fact that wildfires in the western US are degrading the potential for forests to help curb climate change.

The study has established a baseline for how much carbon is currently stored in Western forests, how that amount is changing, and how fires and droughts are affecting the ability of the forests to mitigate climate change.

The study made use of survey data collected by the US Forest Service to estimate how much carbon is stored in 19 ecoregions across the West.  These ecoregions range from hot and dry areas in the Southwest to the wet and cool regions of the Pacific Northwest.

The study reveals that the carbon stored in living trees declined across much of the Western US between 2005 and 2019.  Carbon stored in dead trees and woody debris increased.  These things do not provide long-term carbon storage.  Instead, they release it back into the atmosphere through decomposition or combustion in forest fires.

The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, especially since 2020, indicate that the decline in live carbon stored in the forests will become increasingly pronounced.  The result, according to the study’s authors, is that we cannot rely on increasing carbon storage in Western US forests.  It may be possible to increase the stability of carbon storage in the forests with mechanical thinning and prescribed burning, but the carbon carrying capacity of those forests is not likely to be what is needed.

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Forest carbon storage has declined across much of the Western US, likely due to drought and fire

Photo, posted July 25, 2021, courtesy of Felton Davis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Threats to the Amazon Rainforest

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Brazil has made great progress in reducing deforestation in its Amazon Rainforest.  In 2023, the rate of deforestation in Brazil dropped by 50% over the previous year. This was the result of the efforts by conservation-minded President Luiz da Silva, who replaced Jair Bolsonaro, a big proponent of deforestation.  Da Silva’s government has cracked down on land clearing by farmers and ranchers.

In the first quarter of this year, deforestation decreased by 40% over the previous year’s quarter.   Deforestation levels are the lowest they’ve been in six years, although the amount of forest cleared in the period was still nearly 200 square miles.

Unfortunately, the Amazon Rainforest is facing another growing threat:  climate change.  Because of pervasive drought and increasing temperatures, the number of wildfires in the region have hit a 20-year high.

According to satellite data from the national space agency, from January through June, Brazil recorded 13,489 wildfires in the Amazon.  That is 61% more fires than during the same period last year.  And the wildfire season has yet to reach its peak, which usually is in August or September.

Many of these fires begin in pastures or recently cleared rainforest, but then spread into the surrounding rainforest areas.  Many are huge fires.  Hundreds of square miles of rainforest have been consumed by fire, comparable in size to the areas deforested by farmers and ranchers.

Going forward, worsening wildfires could reverse the gains being made by the government’s deforestation policies.  This could not only threaten forest protection, but also weaken public support for the government’s commitment to protecting the region.

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Brazil Is Seeing a Record Number of Wildfires This Year

Photo, posted January 26, 2018, courtesy of Chris Parker via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Palm oil and water quality

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Palm oil is the world’s cheapest and most widely used vegetable oil.  In fact, more than 86 million tons of palm oil was consumed last year alone.  Even though few of us cook with it, palm oil can be found in approximately half of all packaged grocery items – everything from ice creams and pizzas to detergents and cosmetics. 

This massive global demand for palm oil is driving tropical deforestation around the world.  While many studies have shown how converting rainforests to oil palm plantations causes biodiversity loss, researchers from UMass Amherst are the first to demonstrate how these plantations also cause wide-ranging disturbances to nearby watersheds.

In the study, which was recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, the research team focused on the Kais River watershed of West Papua, a province in the far east of Indonesia.  Approximately 25% of the watershed has been turned into oil palm plantations. The watershed is also one of the oldest continually inhabited homes for different groups of Indigenous Papuans.

The researchers found that the conversion of tropical rainforest to oil palm plantation has increased precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture. Water quality in the watershed has also gotten dramatically worse: sedimentation has increased by 16.9%, nitrogen by 78.1%, and phosphorus by 144%.

The research team hopes regulators will work to limit the use of pesticides, conduct continuous water quality monitoring, and ensure that downstream communities have access to water quality information. 

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Oil Palm Plantations Are Driving Massive Downstream Impact to Watershed

Photo, posted December 13, 2008, courtesy of Fitri Agung via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Is the Amazon rainforest nearing a tipping point?

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The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, covering more than 2.5 million square miles.  More than three million species live in the rainforest, which constitutes approximately 10% of the world’s known biodiversity.  The Amazon rainforest’s biodiversity is so rich that scientists are still discovering new species all the time. 

The Amazon rainforest absorbs huge amounts of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere, making it a key part of mitigating climate change.  But the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the Amazon rainforest today is 30% less than it was in the 1990s. 

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest remains a major problem. Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation, but industrial activities, such as the mining of oil and gas, copper, iron, and gold, are also to blame.

According to a new study recently published in the journal Nature, global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon.  In fact, it may be pushing the rainforest towards a partial or total collapse. 

The study, which was led by researchers from Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil and the University of Birmingham in the U.K., has identified the potential thresholds of these stressors, and highlighted how their combined effects could produce a tipping point for the Amazon rainforest. 

The findings are important because the Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in the global climate system.  By identifying the most important stressors on the rainforest environment, the researchers hope they can develop a plan to keep the Amazon rainforest resilient.

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Is the Amazon forest approaching a tipping point?

Photo, posted July 2, 2017, courtesy of Anna & Michal via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Why was 2023 so hot?

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Five separate weather-tracking organizations have proclaimed 2023 as the hottest year on record. They all agreed that 2023 beat the previous record-holder – 2016 – by a wide margin.  Organizations that use a pre-industrial baseline of 1850-1900 found that 2023 was 1.45 to 1.48 degrees Celsius above the baseline.  But what caused 2023 – especially the second half of it – to be so hot?

Scientists believe that there were multiple factors that contributed to the record-breaking heat.

First and foremost is the long-term rise in greenhouse gases.  Over 100 years of burning fossil fuels along with major changes in land use (particularly deforestation) have led to a significant rise in the heat-trapping blanket of the gases in the atmosphere.

On top of this long-term trend, the return of the El Niño condition in the Pacific in May helped temperatures rise further.

At the same time, the tropical Pacific was not the only ocean that was hotter than normal.  The global sea surface temperature set new records in 2023 and there were multiple marine heat waves.  Heat trapped by the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans, raising their temperatures.

Another factor is the quantity of aerosols in the atmosphere.  Many of these aerosols actually cool the atmosphere by reflecting the sun’s light back into space.  Society’s efforts to reduce air pollution and improve air quality have led to decreasing levels of aerosols.

2024 started with some seriously cold weather in some places but predictions are that this year will be roughly as warm as 2023 and possibly warmer given that the dynamics driving last year’s weather are all still in place.

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Five Factors to Explain the Record Heat in 2023

Photo, posted February 22, 2016, courtesy of Jasmin Toubi via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Global climate progress is too slow

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According to a new report by the World Resources Institute, the world is making progress on climate, but the progress is not fast enough.  The report looked at 37 indicators of climate progress towards the goals set forth by the Paris Agreement.  In some areas, the progress has been substantial, but in six areas, the world has been moving in the wrong direction entirely.

The rapid growth of clean energy has brought the world to the brink of peak fossil fuels, but to avoid the catastrophic effects of warming, countries need to build out wind and solar power nearly twice as fast and shut down coal plants seven times faster.  There has been progress in curbing deforestation, but the world needs to stem forest loss four times more quickly.  More work is needed to clean up heavy industry and the consumption of meat needs to be limited more than the present level.

Areas where things are getting worse rather than better include the use of public funds and subsidies for preserving the use of fossil fuels.  Because of wars and supply shocks affecting energy markets, countries have actually ramped up fossil fuel subsidies to combat rising prices.

One area where the world is moving at the pace required to meet climate goals is in the sales of electric vehicles.  EVs accounted for 10% of car sales globally last year and if trends continue, they are predicted to account for more than 75% of cars sold by 2030.

The faster-than-predicted progress on electric cars demonstrates that transformative change is possible and could happen in other areas.

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World Making Too Little Progress on Climate — Except on EV Sales, Report Finds

Photo, posted May 24, 2022, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Food and the climate crisis

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Agriculture is a major part of the climate problem and remains one of the hardest human activities to decarbonize.  It’s responsible for approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Many experts contend that alternative food sources – like insect farming and seaweed aquaculture – are part of the solution.  Additionally, expanding production of climate resilient food crops, including quinoa, kernza, amaranth, and millet, likely also have a role to play. 

But according to a new study led by researchers from the University of California – Irvine, another solution to this problem may be to eliminate farms altogether.  In the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the research team explored the potential for wide scale synthetic production of dietary fats through chemical and biological processes.  The materials needed for this method are the same as those used naturally by plants: hydrogen (in water) and carbon dioxide (in the air).   

The research team highlighted some of the potential benefits of farm-free food, including reduced water use, less pollution, localized food production, and less risk to food production from weather. 

Cookies, crackers, chips, and many other grocery products are made with palm oil, a dietary fat that continues to be a major driver of deforestation around the world.  However, it remains to be seen how consumers would react if the oil used to bake their cookies came from a food refinery up the road instead of a palm plantation in Indonesia.     

According to the researchers, depending on food refineries instead of tropical plantations for dietary fats could mitigate lots of climate-warming emissions while also protecting land and biodiversity.

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UC Irvine-led science team shows how to eat our way out of the climate crisis

Photo, posted July 15, 2008, courtesy of Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Spooky Reality | Earth Wise

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According to the National Retail Federation, American consumers will spend a whopping $12.2 billion on Halloween this year, exceeding last year’s record of $10.6 billion.  A record number of people – 73% of Americans – will also participate in Halloween-related activities this year, up from 69% in 2022.  But it’s not just our wallets that take a beating. 

Halloween generates a frightening amount of waste.  Picture all those flimsy and often single-use costumes, polyester cobwebs, plastic-wrapped candy, mass-produced decorations, and so forth. Scary stuff!  Here are some simple tricks to make the holiday more sustainable this year. 

Invest in quality costumes.  Those mass-produced costumes leave the largest carbon footprint from Halloween.  They are often made from non-recyclable plastic and most end up in landfills by mid-November.   By renting, thrifting, swapping, or making your own costumes, many of the negative impacts of dressing up for the holiday can be avoided.

Find environmentally-friendly decorations and supplies.  For example, carve local pumpkins and either save the seeds and flesh to eat later, compost it, or feed it to animals.  Make your own spooky decorations.  If you do buy decorations, ensure that they are durable and reusable.  And use wicker baskets, old bags, or pillowcases when trick-or-treating.

Finally, purchase organic and fair trade candy if you’re able to do so.  Some of the largest candy manufacturers are major drivers of deforestation and species extinction around the globe due to their demand for sugar, palm oil, and cocoa beans.

Together, we can “green” Halloween.  

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Halloween Data Center

Photo, posted November 13, 2019, courtesy of Christian Collins via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Aphids And Monarchs | Earth Wise

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Last year, the monarch butterfly was officially designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  Estimates are that the overall population of the species has dropped between 20% and 90% over the past several decades. 

The migratory western population of monarchs is at the greatest risk of extinction, having declined by as much as 99.9% between the 1980s and 2021.  Legal and illegal logging and deforestation to make space for agriculture and urban development has destroyed much of the butterflies’ winter shelter in Mexico and California and pesticides and herbicides throughout the butterflies’ range kills both the butterflies and the milkweed that their larvae feed on.

A new study by the University of Florida has found that aphids feeding on the milkweed that grows across the southern portions of the US causes the butterflies to lay fewer eggs on the plants and the caterpillars developing on those plants were slower to mature.  The study showed that monarch laid three times as many eggs on aphid-free plants as they did on aphid-infested plants.

For years, there have been efforts to plant milkweed in urban areas to support monarch populations.  However, aphids and other insect pests often reach high densities on plants in urban settings. 

The researchers are advising home gardeners in the southern U.S. who want to conserve monarch butterflies to make use of safe techniques to limit aphid populations such as insecticidal soap.  This may not always be an option and the researchers are investigating other options to keep aphids at low levels that aren’t harmful to monarchs.

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Aphids make tropical milkweed less inviting to monarch butterflies, study finds

Photo, posted October 12, 2018, courtesy of Renee Grayson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Protecting The Amazon Rainforest | Earth Wise

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The Amazon rainforest absorbs one-fourth of all the carbon dioxide absorbed by the land of the Earth.  It is by far the world’s largest rainforest, bigger than the next two largest – in the Congo Basin and Indonesia – combined.  Nearly two-thirds of it is found in Brazil but the more than 2 million square miles of rainforest includes portions in 8 countries.

The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the Amazon rainforest is 30% less today than it was in the 1990s as a result of deforestation, to a great extent driven by cattle ranching as well as other agricultural activities.

In early August, the leaders of the eight countries that are home to the Amazon River basin agreed to work together to conserve the rainforest.  The agreement, called the Belém Declaration, provides a roadmap to stave off the rampant deforestation. 

The agreement provides coordination between the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela to establish law enforcement to combat illegal mining and logging as well as to pool development funds for conservation and sustainable employment.  Despite the unity portrayed at the meeting, many of the governments in South America are in a precarious position because of various economic and political struggles

Apart from its critical climate impact, the Amazon rainforest is a haven for biodiversity and further deforestation would be disastrous for tens of thousands of species and could transform it into a net emitter rather than absorber of greenhouse gases.  Some parts of the region have already reached that point.

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Amazon Countries, Led by Brazil, Sign a Rainforest Pact

Photo, posted October 17, 2016, courtesy of Yeoboya via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Cutting Deforestation | Earth Wise

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Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change because the destruction of tropical rainforests worldwide eliminates a crucial natural sink for carbon.  Between 2015 and 2020, roughly 39,000 square miles of forest were cut down, an area about 70% the size of the entire state of New York.  In many places, such as the Amazon and Congo Basins, deforestation continues to accelerate.  In Bolivia, deforestation rose 59% over the past five years; in Ghana, the rise was 71%.

A new report from the World Resources Institute revealed one bright spot in the deforestation story:  both Indonesia and Malaysia have cut deforestation by more than half in recent years.  The two countries have managed to keep rates of primary forest loss to near record-low levels.

Over the past five years, Indonesia saw a 64% decline and Malaysia a 57% decline in deforestation.  Indonesia is the second largest source of deforestation with only Brazil removing more trees.

Indonesia has a national goal of having its forests absorb more carbon than they release by 2030.  They have moved to curb logging and limit the clearing of land for palm oil plantations.  They have also ramped up efforts to suppress forest fires.

It is good that Indonesia and Malaysia and some other countries have shown progress in reducing forest loss.  However, too many other countries have seen continued activities and policies that are causing acceleration of deforestation in critical areas.  Protecting forests is an important part of the effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.  Preserving forests also is essential for protecting the people and the biodiversity that depend on them.

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Indonesia, Malaysia Have Cut Deforestation in Half in Last Half-Decade

Photo, posted March 22, 2021, courtesy EPJT Tours via of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Moss And Carbon Storage | Earth Wise

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All plants, including algae and cyanobacteria, carry out photosynthesis. During the process of photosynthesis, plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen to the air.  As a result, plants play a crucial role in the fight against climate change. 

According to a new study recently published in the journal Nature Geoscience, mosses – those tiny plants often found on the ground or rocks – might be important antidotes to climate change.  The study, which was led by scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia and the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology in Spain, uncovered evidence that mosses have the potential to store a massive amount of carbon in the soil beneath them.

The researchers found that mosses sequester around seven billion tons more carbon in the soil than is stored in the bare patches of soil typically found near them.  To put that figure in perspective, that is six times the annual global carbon emissions caused by global land use change, which includes things like deforestation, urbanization, and mining.  The researchers also found that moss-covered soil possessed heightened levels of vital nutrients and fewer instances of soil-borne plant pathogens on average compared to moss-less soil.

Mosses cover an area of more than 3.6 million square miles, which is similar in size to Canada, and can thrive in challenging environments.  The widespread presence and hardiness of mosses is why they can have such a significant impact on soil biodiversity and carbon sequestration. 

The research team hopes future work will focus on understanding the role of all types of vegetation, not just mosses and trees, in capturing carbon.

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Study: Modest moss supports billions of tons of carbon storage

Photo, posted August 23, 2017, courtesy of Peter Handke via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Reducing Cattle-Driven Deforestation | Earth Wise

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The Amazon rainforest is the biggest rainforest in the world, larger than the next two biggest combined.  It covers more than three million square miles, roughly the size of the lower 48 states.  The Amazon functions as a critical sink for carbon in the atmosphere.

However, human activity has removed more than 10% of the vegetation from the Amazon rainforest since the 1960s.  Cattle ranching accounts for roughly 70% of Amazon deforestation – much of which is illegal.   

According to a study recently published in the journal Global Environmental Change, companies’ ‘zero-deforestation’ commitments could reduce cattle-driven deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by 50%.   Better adoption and implementation of company supply chain policies for Brazilian beef and leather could significantly reduce carbon emissions. 

Between 2010 and 2018, some of the world’s largest slaughterhouses reduced cattle-driven deforestation by 15% through their commitment to zero-deforestation policies.  If these policies were fully implemented and adopted across all cattle companies operating in the Amazon, more than 9,200 square miles of forest could have been spared over the same time period, effectively halving the cattle-driven deforestation in Brazil.  

Zero-deforestation commitments currently cover 82% of beef exported from the Brazilian Amazon for trade internationally.  However, a large amount of beef production destined for Brazil’s domestic markets is not covered.

The researchers say a mix of interventions by both the private and public sector is needed to improve cattle-rearing practices and help reduce deforestation in countries like Brazil.

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Companies’ zero-deforestation commitments have potential to halve cattle-driven deforestation in Brazilian Amazon

Photo, posted January 17, 2011, courtesy of Kelly Sato via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Chocolate And Deforestation | Earth Wise

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The world consumes 7.5 million tons of chocolate a year.   Americans spend an average of $145 a year per capita on chocolate.  And we are not even the world leaders.  The Swiss eat an average of 22 pounds per person and the overall European chocolate market is the world’s largest.

A market valued over $100 billion a year is bound to have its issues for the environment, human rights, and other social issues, and chocolate is no exception.  The global cacao industry grapples with problems with child labor, poverty, deforestation, sustainability and other environmental issues.  The response of companies across the industry varies greatly. A website called chocolatescorecard.com keeps track of how many in the industry are doing.

Recently, lawmakers in the European Union have been putting together a landmark legislative package that addresses deforestation risks in the supply chains of a number of commodities including cattle, timber, rubber, soy, palm oil, and cacao. The proposed law restricts companies that import cacao and sell chocolate to import only what doesn’t destroy or degrade forests. 

Voluntary promises by big chocolate makers to save forests in major cacao-producing countries (like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, and Nigeria) are difficult to keep.  Farmers sell to brokers who sell to trading companies that then sell to chocolate makers.  Tracing the origins of chocolate is difficult.  Ultimately, fairly compensating farmers is the only way they are likely comply with deforestation regulations and there are unfortunately many pockets to fill before that is likely to happen.

It is up to consumers to encourage companies to do the right thing by making their buying choices appropriately.

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The Forest in Your Chocolate

The Chocolate Scorecard

Photo, posted January 12, 2010, courtesy of Lee McCoy via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Deforestation-Free Pledges | Earth Wise

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Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Forests are cut down to make space for animal grazing, agriculture, and to obtain wood for fuel, manufacturing, and construction. Deforestation has greatly altered landscapes around the world and continues to do so today. 

Deforestation is the second largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, trailing only fossil fuel use. Deforestation can lead to all sorts of problems, including biodiversity loss, soil erosion, desertification, and flooding.  Deforestation also threatens peoples’ livelihoods and increases inequality and conflict.

As a result, many companies around the world have made pledges to remove deforestation from their supply chains.  In fact, more than 94 companies had adopted zero-deforestation commitments by 2021.  But while these companies are talking the talk, they don’t seem to be walking the walk. 

According to a new study recently published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, companies’ deforestation-free supply chain pledges have barely impacted forest clearance in the Amazon. 

The research team from the University of Cambridge, Boston University, ETH Zurich, and New York University found corporate pledges to not purchase soybeans grown on land deforested after 2006 have only reduced tree clearance in the Brazilian Amazon by 1.6% between 2006 and 2015.  The researchers found that if these pledges had been implemented, the current levels of deforestation in Brazil could be reduced by approximately 40%.  

According to the research team, the findings of the study indicate that private sector efforts are not enough to stop deforestation. Political leadership will also be vital to forest conservation efforts.

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Companies’ ‘deforestation-free’ supply chain pledges have barely impacted forest clearance in the Amazon, researchers say

Photo, posted November 18, 2020, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

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