Every year, 18 million hectares of tropical forest – an area the size of England and Wales – are cut down, releasing millions of tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In just 40 years, possibly 1bn hectares, the equivalent of Europe, has gone.
Trees soak up carbon dioxide so when they are gone the gas lingers in the atmosphere, leading to temperature rises and climate change. Deforestation almost rivals emissions from the world’s 1.2m cars and lorries – 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year come from felled trees. Yet, the importance of forest conservation to fighting climate change is underestimated.
There is some hope – at the Paris climate summit in 2015, more than 50 developing countries who share the world’s tropical forests all promised to crack down on illegal forestry, replant trees and restore degraded forest lands.
Indonesia, for example, which has the fastest deforestation rate of any single country in the world and is the sixth largest carbon emitter, promised to cut its emissions by 29% by ending illegal deforestation and restoring 12m hectares of forested land. If all countries stick to their pledges, carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 30% worldwide.
But the conservation of forests is easier said then done – partly as many of the countries affected are some of the poorest. So where will the money to protect forests come from and how do donors ensure it’s spent ethically? Who should lead conservation efforts? And how can indigenous forest communities ensure that they have a say in any negotiations over their home?
Join an expert panel on Thursday 30 March from 2.30-4pm GMT, to discuss these questions and more.
Panel to be confirmed.
The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). Want to recommend someone for the panel or ask a question in advance? Get in touch via globaldevpros@theguardian.com or @GuardianGDP on Twitter. Follow the discussion using the hashtag #globaldevlive.
