“In this Sept. 15, 2009 file photo, a deforested area is seen near Novo Progresso in Brazil’s northern state of Para.
“By 2050, an area of forests the size of India is set to be wiped off the planet if humans continue on their current path of deforestation, according to a new report. That’s bad news for the creatures that depend on these forest ecosystems for survival, but it’s also bad news for the climate, as the loss of these forests will release more than 100 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“The report, published Monday by the Center for Global Development (CGD), found that, without new policies aimed at cutting back on deforestation, 289 million hectares (about 1,115,840 square miles) of tropical forests will be cleared away. That’s a chunk, the report states, that’s equal to one-seventh of what the Earth’s total tropical forest area was in 2000. And, according to the report, the 169 gigatons of carbon dioxide that this deforestation will unleash is equal to one-sixth of the carbon budget that humans can emit if they want to keep warming below 2°C — the level that’s generally viewed as the maximum warming Earth can endure while still avoiding the most dangerous climate impacts (and even 2°C is seen by many experts as too high).” Sourced from: thinkprogress.org
GR: With so many signs pointing toward mass extinction, continuing to pollute and procreate is irrational. It would be prudent to change our behavior. But saying this feels like watching a bus flying off the road and over a 500-foot cliff and saying “they should use the brakes.” I guess it’s too late.
