The world’s forests are a massive carbon sink that absorb many gigatons of CO2 each year, an invaluable buffer against global warming. But much of this benefit is erased by people cutting or burning trees.
At present, the world loses the equivalent of 18 soccer fields of tropical forest every minute. Our deforestation Key Result aims to eliminate any net loss by 2035 by restoring as many trees as we clear. Over the last several years, we’ve seen gradual but uneven progress toward this target.
Our wildfires KR, a new addition to our tracker, tracks to an interim goal of cutting wildfire emissions by 25 percent by 2035. Over the last two years, these conflagrations burned an area larger than India. People cause wildfires directly by careless ignition or by killing animals that would eat flammable underbrush. And while some wildfires are natural phenomena, human-caused climate change is upping their frequency and intensity. Dry trees are more apt to catch or spread fire. This Key Result takes on added urgency from the prospect of a dangerous feedback loop. As parched trees ignite, they emit their stored carbon into the atmosphere and drive temperatures even higher. A hotter planet gives rise to hotter wildfires, which can delay or even prevent vital forest regrowth.