Earth has lost Forest Cover the Size of Libya Since 1990, FAO Reveals

Ahead of the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) scheduled for next month, FAO released data revealing that the world has lost forest cover the size of Libya since 1990. In total, 178 million hectares of forest has been cleared or burned in recent years.

The data was not gathered through satellite images, but was self-reported by 263 nations and territories. It revealed that Africa alone has lost 4 million hectares since 2010. However, the FAO claimed that the overall rates of deforestation are declining.

Even if deforestation rates are decreasing overall, this is not enough. Especially not with the recent development in the Amazon and Indonesia. Amazonian deforestation increased in April for the 13th month in a row and the Indonesian parliament passed a mining bill that gives miners impunity for environmental harms and human rights violations. We must eliminate deforestation entirely to slow down the climate crisis, protect biodiversity and preserve vital ecosystem services like freshwater, oxygen generation and carbon absorption.