Forests
Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and more frequent extreme weather events take their toll on the world’s forests. Millions of hectares are destroyed every year to meet the increasing demand for paper, wood and other products. Each day, more than 200 square kilometers of forest disappear around the world due to deforestation. Cutting down forests to produce paper not only eliminates vital ecosystems, it also contributes to global warming. Half of the world’s carbon, a greenhouse gas, is stored in forests.
Forests have been called the Earth’s lungs because they release oxygen into the atmosphere after absorbing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
Forest fires have the potential to burn through acres of land in just minutes. ;ore than 100,000 forest fires clear up million acres of land each year.
The equatorial rainforests represent one of the planet’s most diverse and productive ecosystems, but deforestation has destroyed more than half of the Earth’s rainforests.
Paper is one of the most common materials encountered in daily life. The average American consumes over 700 pounds of the material each year from products like tissues, napkins, junk mail, greeting cards, printer paper, newspapers, cereal boxes and more.
Forests are an incredibly rich source of natural resources, but millions of hectares are destroyed every year to meet the increasing demand for paper, wood and other products. If deforestation continues at present rates, the Earth may lose its forests forever.
WNO MEMBER STATES
