Our forests hold the key to reaching climate goals

Can you imagine a world without trees? A planet without forests?

As global consumption increases, the number of trees being cut down also increases. 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods in fact more than half the Worlds tropical forests have been destroyed since 1960.

Our forests and trees could go a long way to reach climate goals set by the Paris Agreement of reducing 1 billion tonnes of CO2 from the earth by 2025, yet many countries are still falling short on reducing deforestation.

Axa, the French insurance giant, says it will invest 1.5 billion euros ($1.74 billion) to support sustainable forest management as part of new commitments to fight deforestation and preserve biodiversity.

At the same time, over 100 countries have pledged to put the protection of habitats at the heart of their government decision-making under the Kunming declaration in China. But the declaration is a political one rather than a binding agreement.

Plant and animal species are now being lost at the fastest rate in 10 million years.

The New York Declaration on Forests, a global agreement to end deforestation by 2030, has now reviewed 32 of the most important forest nations and finds their actions are falling short of the promises made in 2014.

The report says if these countries act now by reducing deforestation and replanting trees, they could reduce carbon emissions by 30%.

(Source: The New York Declaration on Forests)