Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil hit a new record during the first half of 2022. The Washington Post reports that satellite data showed more than 3,980 square kilometers, an area five times the size of New York City, were deforested in the first six months of this year, the highest figure going back to at least 2016. Data from the agency also indicated fire activity last month was the highest for June in 15 years from farmers burning forest vegetation to clear land for crops and livestock.
The world’s largest rainforest is one of the planet’s most important “carbon sinks,” absorbing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and storing it in its vegetation. By removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the Amazon serves as a powerful counterbalance to all the carbon being released and slows the pace of global warming.
The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that wide spread global deforestation is responsible for about 20% of the impact on global climate change. Deforestation also affects local animal habitats, sensitive flora and fauna, and indigenous peoples. Preventing the destruction of existing rainforests for logging, commercial agriculture, and cattle ranching is a critical step in stopping the advance of global warming.
Carbonfund offers renewable energy, forest conservation and energy efficiency projects to support in order to help replace fossil fuel usage with more sustainable methods to mitigate carbon emissions. All of the carbon offset projects supported by Carbonfund are third-party validated and verified to meet the highest international standards. They have supported more than 240 projects in 28 countries and 42 American states while also planting over 1.6 million trees.
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