A global forest system thousands of years in the making, reduced in less than a century by industrial extraction and political indifference.
The numbers are staggering. The consequences are irreversible. And we're still cutting.
46% of Earth's land surface covered in forests
31% of Earth's land surface — 2 billion hectares lost
Reality Check: We've destroyed one-third of the world's forests in just over a century. That's equivalent to erasing all of South America's forests twice over.
Based on ~10 million hectares cleared annually = ~1.14 hectares per minute
Responsible for ~80% of Amazon deforestation
Commercial timber extraction for construction + paper
Biodiversity hotspots converted to monoculture
Extraction of gold, copper, iron ore destroys vast areas
Feedback loop: deforestation → drought → more fires
We cut trees at a rate far beyond natural regrowth. "Sustainable forestry" is largely a marketing phrase with no teeth.
The logging industry operates on quarterly profit cycles. Forests operate on century-long regeneration cycles. The math doesn't work.
The consequences cascade through every system on the planet. This isn't theoretical—it's happening right now.
Forests regulate temperature, moisture, and the global carbon cycle. Removing them accelerates warming and triggers unpredictable weather patterns.
80% of terrestrial species live in forests. Remove the forest → everything up the chain collapses.
Forests create rainfall through transpiration. Deforested regions become drier, more fire-prone, and less capable of supporting agriculture.
Without roots and canopy, soil erodes, washes away, and becomes sterile. Productive land turns to wasteland.
Indigenous communities lose their land and livelihoods. Climate refugees increase as ecosystems collapse.
Cities experience hotter microclimates as urban tree canopy is removed. Heat-related deaths increase.