When a tree falls: deforestation and climate change

“Climate control centre for the world. Ancient cord of coexistence.” – Bruce Cockburn, If a Tree Falls

A single tree is a remarkable thing. It can:

• Produce enough oxygen for up to four people every day.
• Absorb around 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year.
• Cool its immediate surroundings by up to five degrees Celsius in air temperature.
• Release up to 380 litres of water vapour per day via evapotranspiration.

• What is evapotranspiration? It's the combined process of evaporation (water moving from soil and surface water into the air) and transpiration (water released from plants into the atmosphere).

That’s just one tree. Imagine what all three trillion trees currently on Earth can do.

Three trillion seems like a large number. And it is. Until you realize that there may have been six trillion trees on Earth at the dawn of civilization. It seems that humans, deforestation and climate change go hand in hand.

Often with an axe.

What is deforestation?

“All that I have now is a souvenir of you.” – Midnight Oil, Tarkine

Cutting down a tree, in and of itself, is not deforestation. That’s logging—something forests can recover from when it’s done responsibly.

Deforestation, on the other hand, is the purposeful, permanent clearing of a forest into something else. Take your pick:

• Parking lots
• Residential or commercial neighbourhoods
• Highways and transportation systems
• Agriculture and farmland

A forest is more than a collection of trees. It’s an ecosystem of soil, foliage, water and wildlife all living together and working together.

With logging, trees are replaced. With deforestation, they aren’t. The forest itself—and everything it supports goes away.

Usually what replaces it is less diverse. Less resilient. Less capable of storing carbon, regulating temperature or sustaining life.

How much deforestation is happening?

“Cortege rhythm of falling timber” – Bruce Cockburn, If a Tree Falls

• Roughly 40 million trees are cut down.
• The world loses up to 18 soccer fields worth of forest per minute.
• Around 27,000 trees are cut down just to produce toilet paper.
• About 51,000 trees are cut down in North America alone to produce paper towels.
• Up to 22,000 trees are cut down to make pencils.

Before equating deforestation and climate change, it’s worth realizing the world needs toilet paper.

And paper towels.

And even pencils.

Trees are an integral part of how we live, learn and build. Using trees isn’t the problem. Rather, the issue falls with replenishment. We take. But how much do we give back?

Currently, the answer is not enough:

• Annually, 15 billion trees are cut down, but only 5 billion are purposely replanted.
• Estimates say we’ve lost nearly half of the world’s trees since humans first arrived.
• While highly unlikely, theoretical modeling says Earth could be totally treeless by 2319.

See, there’s a difference between using forests and erasing them.

Paper products and other goods can come from sustainably managed forests where trees are replanted and ecosystems can recover. Harvest. Regrow. Repeat.

But deforestation doesn’t follow that cycle. It clears land permanently, often for agriculture or development.

And right now, it’s being done at an alarming pace.

How does deforestation affect climate change for kids?

“For our sons and daughters’ future, help this planet Earth to stay”– Raffi, Evergreen, Everblue

Climbing trees is a generational, universal experience.

Wondering how high you can climb. Getting stuck in branches. Worrying if you can make it down. Scraped knees. Amazing views. It’s all part of growing up.

So, what happens when there are fewer trees to climb? How does deforestation affect climate change for kids beyond making core childhood memories?

Imagine a 10-year-old child today. What will life be like when they’re 50?

Let’s picture a child who is 10 years old today. Should deforestation and climate change occur without major change, here’s what they’ll experience over the course of 40 years.

The planet gets hotter

Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. Cut a tree down, and the carbon dioxide that’s been stored goes back into the air. The more trees which get deforested, the fewer trees remain to absorb carbon dioxide.

The extra carbon (and other greenhouse gases) stay trapped in the atmosphere. In the next 40 years, temperatures could rise by up to three degrees Celsius due to deforestation, climate change and other human activities.

The air gets dirtier

When forests shrink:

• More carbon dioxide stays in the air.
• Less pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter is filtered out.
• Smog, soot and particulate—which are harmful to children and older adults—aren’t effectively absorbed.

In 1958, carbon dioxide levels were at 315 parts per million (PPM). Today, it’s over 420 PPM.

• What are parts per million? PPM is a way of measuring how much of a particular gas is in the air. Here, it means that out of one million air molecules, over 420 are carbon dioxide

With deforestation and climate change, it’s possible that carbon dioxide levels could exceed 500 PPM. Higher levels trap heat, resulting in global warming and more extreme climate impacts.

The rain stops falling

A single raindrop is miniscule. But the impact of deforestation isn’t.

In tropical forest regions like the Amazon, the trees themselves can generate their own rainfall. However:

• For every percentage point of deforestation, rainfall can decre ase by 0.6 millimeters per month.
• Between 1980 and 2019 (39 years), up to 11 per cent of decrease in precipitation in the Amazon rainforest can be attributed to deforestation and climate change.

When that happens:

• There are more droughts, which can lead to crop failures and food shortages.
• Flooding increases (really!) because the water that’s typically absorbed by tree roots floods the ground and runs off into rivers and streams.
• Ecosystems break down, forcing species—including humans—to migrate to new homes.
• Forests become drier and more vulnerable to fire.

• Wildfires facts and FAQs. Understand what causes wildfires, how World Vision responds to wildfires and what you can do to help survivors of wildfires rebuild and restart their lives.

Over the course of 40 years, a child living through deforestation and climate change will see temperatures rise, air quality decrease and rainfall disrupted. These elements will impact on how they live, grow, work and raise a family.

Worst of all, there won’t be any trees to climb, branches to swing from or treehouses to build.

What can you do about deforestation and climate change?

“We’ll stop chopping down our trees and stop using plastic things.” Hopscotch Songs, Climate Change Song

The result of deforestation is trees being cut down. The cause can be attributed to what we buy, what we use and what we throw way.

Viewed through that lens, there are small actions you can take which can add up to reduce the impact of deforestation and climate change.

1. Plant a tree

Just one tree:

• Cleans the air.
• Absorbs harmful carbon dioxide.
• Protects local ecosystems.
• Helps with water management.

While planting trees is a tangible way to help, it’s important to protect existing trees, too. Mature trees and forests store more carbon and clean more air than newly planted saplings.

2. Use less and waste less

Everyday products like paper towels, tissues, packaging and paper all come from trees.

Using less doesn’t mean going without. Rather, it means:

• Choosing reusable products whenever possible.
• Avoiding unnecessary paper waste.
• Recycling properly.

Reducing how much you use—no matter how small—lowers the demand for new materials to replace the discarded products.

Examples of using less

• Use reuseable cloths for cleaning instead of paper towels or disinfecting wipes.
• Glass storage containers for leftovers instead of disposable containers.
• Reusable fabric bags rather than single-use plastic bags.
• forgo the paper straw or use a metal straw instead.

3. Think about your food

Approximately 90 per cent of global deforestation is due to agricultural expansion for things like:

• Beef
• Palm oil
• Soy

You don’t need to cut these from your diet. Instead, only cook what you need to reduce food waste. Or support companies with transparent supply chains so you can see exactly where your food comes from.

Help us help countries affected by deforestation and climate change

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” – Unknown, Chinese Proverb

Many locations served by World Vision Canada, such as Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are affected by deforestation and climate change.

• World Vision supports Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR): We train local farmers to restore the natural environment of their communities by replenishing the land with new trees and plants.

You can help. You don’t have to do everything, but even the smallest something can make a difference:

Give fruit trees and seeds

• Replenish lost trees and help provide food security for growing children and income for hardworking parents.

Provide solar panels

• Energy from the sun to power irrigation systems that help grow food and medical facilities that keep families and communities healthy.

Give help where it’s needed most

• Donate essentials such as food, healthcare and more to those who are most vulnerable to deforestation and climate change.