A new study predicted that a tropical forest land as big as India may be cleared by the year 2050. This is said to burn approximately more than one-sixth of the carbon left if the target preindustrial level of 2°C or 35.6°F may be achieved. Nonetheless, these emissions may be reduced without having to spend too much, according to the researchers.
The researchers from the Center for Global Development obtained about 18 million satellite images, data and observations of forest loss in 101 countries over time. After the review, 714 million acres of tropical forests were predicted to be demolished in the next 35 years.
Forests keep carbon stores and acts as a filter machine that can obtain the heat-associated carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Deforestation then makes a great contributory factor for the occurrence of climate change. If the present situation persists and no notable measures will be implemented, the study predicted that the rate of deforestation will increase through 2020 and 2030 and will further step up by 2040. By 2050, the atmosphere is said to possibly engulf additional 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide, which may be translated to about 44,000 active coal-fired power plants within a year. With this, it may be said that reducing the rate of tropical deforestation is low-cost measure to battle climate change, Jonah Busch, study lead author and environmental economist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The author recommends governments to place taxes on carbon emissions so as to urge nations to safeguard their forests. Some countries have already started and have already proven that it is indeed possible. For example, in Brazil, tropical forest loss in the Amazon was reduced by about 80 percent in the past 10 years. The nation utilized satellite monitoring technologies and implemented firmer law enforcement, amidst the rise of cattle and soy production.
In conclusion, the researchers said that their study findings reflected the results of previous researches that minimizing the loss of tropical forests is a cheap and considerable measure to fight climate change. However, the researchers had to disagree with some studies that said that the preventable amount of carbon emissions that may be attained by decreasing tropical deforestation will decrease, as they believe that the levels will all the more increase in the future. Fortunately, the 47 countries, which make up 89 percent of feasible low-cost deforestation programs, have expressed their desires to limit their emissions.
