Global Warming

Current deforestation pace will intensify global warming

The global warming process may be even more intense than originally forecast unless deforestation can be halted, especially in the tropical regions. This warning has been published in Nature Communications by an international group of scientists. "If we go on destroying forests at the current pace—some 7,000 km² per year in the case of Amazonia—in three to four decades, we'll have a massive accumulated loss. This will intensify global warming regardless of all efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Paulo Artaxo, a professor at the University of São Paulo's Physics Institute (IF-USP).

The group reached the conclusion after conducting a mathematical reproduction of the planet's current atmospheric conditions through computer modeling that used a numerical model of the atmosphere developed by the Met Office, the UK's national meteorological service.

Deforestation, he stressed, affects the amount of aerosols and ozone in the atmosphere definitively, changing the atmosphere's entire radiative balance. "The urgent need to keep the world's forests standing is even clearer in light of this study. It's urgent not only to stop their destruction but also to develop large-scale reforestation policies, especially for tropical regions. Otherwise, the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels won't make much difference," Artaxo said.