5 ways deforestation affects climate change

Deforestation significantly contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. When forests are destroyed, and this CO₂ is released, it exacerbates the greenhouse effect and contributes to climate change. 

In 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported approximately 11 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation, making this a critical factor in the ongoing climate crisis. 

This practice is separate from sustainable forestry, which focuses on responsible harvesting and replanting to help maintain forest ecosystems and their carbon-storing capacity. Deforestation typically prioritizes short-term economic gain over long-term environmental health. 

When organizations and governing bodies leverage certifications and resources from entities like the Forest Stewardship CouncilⓇ (FSCⓇ), they help preserve biodiversity and support reforestation. These efforts also reduce their carbon footprint—a measure of the greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by their activities—through carbon sequestration. 

This article explores the top sectors damaging forests, how deforestation affects climate change, and solutions to this environmental crisis.   

Table of contents 

• What is deforestation and what is causing it?
• How does deforestation affect the environment? 
• How FSC fights climate change and how you can help

What is deforestation and what is causing it?

Deforestation occurs when forests are cleared or converted for non-forest purposes, such as through agriculture, mining, or urbanization. This process causes long-term ecosystem damage and disruption, which harms wildlife habitats and diminishes biodiversity. 

Deforestation not only undermines forests' essential ability to sequester CO₂, but also releases the carbon stored in trees, soil, and the forest ecosystem back into the atmosphere. This contributes to devastating effects on the environment, local communities, and the global climate.

 

There are many factors contributing to deforestation, but here are three culprits according to the World Wildlife Fund’s 2023 Forest Pathways Report.

Urbanization and infrastructure

The expansion of urban areas encroaches upon forests as more land is needed to accommodate growing populations and their infrastructure. Large projects like roadways, power lines, and dams make forests more accessible to industries like mining that exploit minerals and resources, causing lasting damage. 

For example, nearly all deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon occurs within 50 km of a highway or main road, highlighting the impact of urbanization on forest ecosystems.

Increased rate of natural disasters

While natural events like wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts have always impacted forests, human activity significantly increases their frequency and intensity. Climate change intensifies these disasters, further accelerating deforestation and creating feedback loops that increase their cadence and potential to inflict extreme damage.  

Around the world, millions of hectares of forests are lost to wildfires each year. Responsible forest management solutions, like the FSC chain of custody certification, can help quiet these intensifying natural disasters through forest-friendly sourcing.

Agriculture expansion

The FAO’s 2020 global Remote Sensing Survey found that agricultural expansion was responsible for nearly 90 percent of global deforestation. For instance, livestock grazing alone accounted for roughly 40 per cent of forest loss.

However, it is still possible for agriculture and sustainable forestry to co-exist. Smallholder farmers in Thailand exemplify this by making a big environmental difference through their partnership with FSC.

How does deforestation affect the environment? 

Healthy forests are directly tied to a healthier planet. The UN-REDD Programme found that halting deforestation could reduce global emissions by 4 gigatonnes annually. 

From increasing greenhouse gas emissions to facilitating dangerous feedback loops, explore these five key ways deforestation is detrimental to the Earth’s climate. 

1. Increased greenhouse gas emissions

Forests are complex ecosystems that absorb CO₂ and store the carbon in their biomass – like soil, plants, and fungi. According to the World Economic Forum, this makes them one of the most effective resources for balancing atmospheric carbon levels and mitigating climate change. 

For instance, forests in the Menkragnotí Indigenous Reserve offset the equivalent of two million cars’ annual emissions by absorbing about 10 million metric tonnes more carbon dioxide than they emit. 

When forests are cleared without sustainable forestry practices in mind, that stored carbon is released and contributes to the vast amounts of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This intensifies global warming, leading to rising temperatures, melting glaciers, and more extreme weather events. 

Reducing the damage: Unlike deforestation, sustainable forestry practices (like those outlined in FSC’s standards) help forests regenerate and continue storing carbon without causing the same scale of environmental damage. Swedish company Essity supports this idea by combining its commitment to health and hygiene products with sustainable forestry practices.

2. Loss of carbon sinks

As forests shrink, so does their capacity to offset greenhouse gas emissions. This feedback loop – where less forest cover means less CO₂ absorption – amplifies the effects of climate change, making each hectare of forest that remains all the more critical for climate regulation.

In addition to the trees themselves, forest soil holds large amounts of carbon. When forests are degraded, this soil is often disturbed and releases even more CO₂ or other greenhouse gases. 

Reducing the damage: Reforestation efforts are an essential climate change solution. However, they cannot immediately replace the complex, established ecosystems of mature forests. Conservation is a key element of any strategy to maintain carbon sinks and help save the Earth. 

3. Disruption of water cycles 

Healthy forests are integral to regulating global water cycles. Deforestation disrupts these natural processes, leading to devastating consequences for the Earth, like erosion and flooding.

Excessive erosion can lead to poor water quality and diminished water quantity in the soil. Healthy forests help filter this pollution by using their roots to anchor soil and prevent erosion. 
 
Reducing the damage: Protecting forests is essential to preserving their role in water cycle regulation, which is crucial for maintaining stable climates and productive landscapes. This, in turn, supports overall forest productivity and the livelihoods depending on it.

4. Damaging biodiversity loss 

Forests serve as vital habitats for countless species, from the smallest microbes to largest mammals. Forests provide essential resources to these creatures including shelter, food and water sources, and breeding grounds – allowing species to thrive within their natural environments.

Human communities are also affected by biodiversity loss, as they rely on healthy ecosystems for services that support agriculture, clean water, and even pharmaceuticals derived from forest species.

[Forests] cover almost a third of the global land area and harbour most of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. — UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)

Deforestation can destroy or severely disrupt these habitats, leading to drastic biodiversity loss as species are displaced or driven to extinction. 

This decline in biodiversity has profound implications for ecosystem health. It threatens the stability and resilience of entire ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to climate change and other environmental pressures.

Reducing the damage: Preserving forests and the biodiversity within them is essential for maintaining the balance and health of ecosystems that contribute to both environmental and human well-being.

5. Dangerous feedback loops 

A feedback loop in the climate system is like a domino effect where one change triggers another, and so on. This means that when deforestation releases CO₂ into the atmosphere, it doesn’t just contribute directly to climate change – it can set off a series of self-reinforcing cycles that make the problem even harder to control.

One clear example is the Amazon rainforest, where cleared forests lose their moisture-retaining capabilities and lead to dry conditions. This can make wildfires more frequent and intense, which releases even more carbon into the atmosphere, raises global temperatures, and contributes to further droughts and deforestation. 

Reducing the damage: Protecting and restoring forests is crucial to breaking these dangerous cycles, helping to secure the planet’s natural mechanisms for climate regulation and help prevent further escalation of climate change.

How FSC fights climate change and how you can help

Protecting forests means more than just preserving trees; it’s about safeguarding ecosystems, stabilizing climates, and supporting local communities. The good news about climate change? Sustainable forestry practices can help maintain forests as vital resources. 

FSC solutions help reduce the negative impact of forestry by setting guidelines for sustainable timber, paper, and other forest-based products. Choosing products with the FSC label and becoming a forest steward helps individuals support responsible practices and protect crucial natural resources. 

But the work goes beyond individual action. FSC Verified Impact will offer businesses, governments, and forest managers the data they need to better monitor, conserve, and improve ecosystem services in forests.

FSC also encourages governments and corporations to adopt policies that prioritize forest conservation, working together to achieve global climate goals. See an example of this in action as Officeworks and FSC Australia leverage their partnership to restore degraded landscapes, supporting native and even endangered wildlife. 

Additional resources 

To explore more about how deforestation affects climate change, consult global sources that provide extensive data and research. 

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publish regular reports with in-depth analyses on deforestation's role in global warming, biodiversity loss, and water cycle disruption. 

The World Resources Institute and Global Forest Watch also offer research and mapping tools for monitoring forest loss and its environmental impact across the globe. 

Sourcing 

1. Center for Strategic and International Studies (2020)  INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep27030.8.pdf (1 November 2024)
2. Conservation Biology Institute (2023) Scientists warn that many dangerous feedback loops make climate action more urgent https://phys.org/news/2023-02-scientists-dangerous-feedback-loops-climate.html (1 November 2024)
3. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2022) Tackling climate change head-on https://www.fao.org/platforms/water-scarcity/Knowledge/best-practices/detail/tackling-climate-change-head-on/ (1 November 2024)
4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2021) COP26: Agricultural expansion drives almost 90 percent of global deforestation https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/cop26-agricultural-expansion-drives-almost-90-percent-of-global-deforestation/en (1 November 2024)
5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2020) Remote Sensing Survey https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/fe22a597-a39d-4765-8393-95fbcaed6416/content (5 December 2024)
6. Mongabay (2020) Scientists measure Amazon drought and deforestation feedback loop: Study https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/scientists-measure-amazon-drought-and-deforestation-feedback-loop-study/ (1 November 2024)
7. Our World in Data (2019) Annual tropical deforestation by agricultural product https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/deforestation-by-commodity (1 November 2024)
8. UN Environment Programme (2024) How halting deforestation can help counter the climate crisis https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-halting-deforestation-can-help-counter-climate-crisis (1 November 2024)
9. UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (2024) EARTH’S BIODIVERSITY DEPENDS ON THE WORLD’S FORESTS https://www.unep-wcmc.org/en/news/earths-biodiversity-depends-on-the-worlds-forests (1 November 2024)
10. World Resources Institute (2017) 3 Surprising Ways Water Depends on Healthy Forests https://www.wri.org/insights/3-surprising-ways-water-depends-healthy-forests (1 November 2024)
11. World Resources Institute (2021) Forests Absorb Twice As Much Carbon As They Emit Each Year https://www.wri.org/insights/forests-absorb-twice-much-carbon-they-emit-each-year (1 November 2024)
12. World Wildlife Fund (2023) The Forest Pathways Report WWF 2023 https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/7nxri5veo8_WWF_Forest_Pathways_Report_2023_Web.pdf (1 November 2024)