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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The world lost a record 6.7 million hectares of tropical primary forest in 2024 — double the previous year — driven mainly by wildfires, according to new data from the University of Maryland and WRI’s Global Forest Watch
• For the first time, fires overtook agriculture as the dominant cause of tropical deforestation, with Latin America — especially Brazil and Bolivia — suffering the worst losses
🔭 The context: 2024 was the hottest year on record, with El Niño-fuelled droughts intensifying fire conditions
• In Brazil alone, fires accounted for 66% of deforestation, as the country prepares to host COP30 later this year
• Bolivia saw a 200% surge in forest loss, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia also experienced record-breaking destruction due to climate instability and conflict-related activities
• Fires also ravaged boreal forests in Canada and Russia, pushing global tree cover loss to 30 million hectares — an area the size of Italy
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Forests are vital carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs
• The loss of tropical and boreal forests accelerates global warming by releasing carbon emissions — 4.1 gigatons in 2024 from fires alone — while reducing the Earth’s ability to sequester carbon
• The destruction also jeopardizes climate commitments, including the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration pledge to end deforestation by 2030, which now appears critically off track
⏭️ What's next: Experts call for urgent action: scaling Indigenous-led fire prevention, enforcing deforestation-free supply chains, strengthening global trade regulations, and increasing climate finance
• Brazil’s role as COP30 host puts it in a strategic position to lead on forest protection policy
• Countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have shown that targeted policies can reduce forest loss, even under climate stress
💬 One quote: “This level of forest loss is unlike anything we’ve seen in over 20 years of data. It’s a global red alert,” — Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch at WRI
📈 One stat: In 2024, tropical forest fires alone released 4.1 gigatons of greenhouse gases — over four times the emissions from all global air travel in 2023
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