5. Deforestation has turned the Amazon Rainforest into a carbon source One of the most shocking deforestation facts in recent years is that the Amazon, the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems and important carbon sinks, is found to emit a greater amount of carbon dioxide than it is absorbing as a result of deforestation, wildfires and climate change. According to a study between 2010 and 2018, deforestation in eastern Amazonia has led to greater warming and moisture stress to the forest especially during dry seasons, making it more susceptible to wildfires. Forest fires, in turn, produce three times more carbon than the forests can absorb, creating a negative loop. The study also revealed that the forest emitted about a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equal to the annual emissions released in Japan, the world’s fifth-biggest polluter.

1. We lose around 10 million hectares of forest every single year The world has been chopping down 10 million hectares of trees every year to make space to grow crops and livestock, and to produce materials such as paper. This accounts for about 16% of total tree loss cover. 96% of deforestation takes place in tropical forests.

2. Deforestation contributes about 4.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year One of the most stunning deforestation facts is that forest loss contributes nearly 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, which is equivalent to nearly 10% of annual human emissions. NASA researchers found that accelerated slashing and burning methods of land clearing in Borneo, the third-largest island in the world and home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world, contributed to the largest single-year global increase in carbon emissions in two millenniums, driving Indonesia up towards a leading source of carbon emissions.

3. Beef is responsible for 41% of global deforestation The farming industry needs to clear substantial pasture lands for cattle (and livestock) in order to keep up with global demand for beef. An estimated 81,081 square miles of forest land is lost every year for meat production, 80% of which occurs in the Amazon. Developed countries such as the US and China, the latter happens to be the world’s biggest beef consumer, devouring almost one-third of the world’s meat, are some of the biggest culprits of deforestation. But developing countries are catching up and are on track to rise by four times as much as in the developed world by 2028. Many are calling for people to adopt a plant-based diet as a method of combat deforestation, which will also help slash greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural industry and slow down global warming.

4. Chocolate and biscuits are major contributors to deforestation Aside from beef production, the palm oil industry is also responsible for a significant amount of deforestation around the world. Palm oil is used in over two thirds of the food products that we consume everyday, from vegetable oil to chocolate to biscuits, as well as in other household products like soap and shampoo. To keep up with the demand, forest land equivalent to 300 football fields is being cleared every hour to make room for palm plantations, destroying important habitats of critically endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger. Many forests have also been converted into monoculture plantations, meaning planting the same single plant species across the land, which not only threatens biodiversity of the ecosystem, but increases the risks of soil erosion while reducing nutrient content.