The world’s forests are disappearing at a rate of 6.2 million hectares/year (between 2000-2010). There are an estimated 500 million forest-dependent people, 200 million of whom are indigenous, who depend on forests for food, fuel, fodder for livestock, medicine and shelter. Forest loss has a devastating effect on them and on biodiversity. A major consequence of deforestation and forest degradation is the release of heat-trapping and potent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Forests act as carbon sinks that when destroyed, emit CO2 accelerating global warming and climate change. The Amazon is a massive carbon sink and helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. The rapid increase in the forest fire deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in 2019, affecting Peru, Paraguay Bolivia and Brazil has brought the issue to public attention. What’s fueling the process is the capitalist drive for profits for agribusinesses, as well as the underdevelopment of countries where deforestation is highest by decades of imperialist exploitation which has left impoverished communities with little access to services such as water, fuel and electricity, which drives them to exploit the forests in an unsustainable way.
Imperialist countries and their attendant eNGOs have focused on ‘illegal logging’, boycotting palm oil plantations and ‘nature conservation’ as solutions to these problems. Green party MP Caroline Lucas brought a private members bill in 2010 calling on the UK to ‘ban illegally logged timber and timber products’. In 2007-2010, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted the REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) – a process which financially rewards ‘developing’ countries for emissions reductions. This ‘conservation’ is essentially industrialised countries paying poor underdeveloped countries not to clear their forest, but ends up as a scheme to generate carbon credits/offsets (for the imperialist countries), while driving local inhabitants off their land with little or no compensation, and turning them into aid-dependent paupers. Its estimated that 20 million people have been driven off their lands in the name of land and wildlife conservation. Involving local people in sustainable forest management must be part of the solution.
Illegal logging is not the main source of deforestation, nor is the logging of timber the main source of deforestation or of CO2 emissions from deforestation. The majority of timber resulting from illegal forest activities is traded domestically. Only 2% of illegally logged industrial wood reaches the EU and globally makes up 20% at most. Agriculture is the proximate driver for around 80% of deforestation worldwide, that is to say, the unsustainable demand for agricultural products in imperialist countries is driving deforestation. The clearing of land for the rearing of livestock (mainly beef), is responsible for driving deforestation: 63 million hectares between 1990-2008 (beef); 13 million hectares (soybean); eight million hectares (maize) six million hectares (palm oil); five million hextares for wood. The focus on palm oil is clearly back to front. This is all being done legally. In Brazil by 2007, wood extraction for commercial timber (legal and illegal) caused 14% of total deforestation and degradation whilst commercial agriculture caused 32%, and most of that timber stayed in Brazil.
Brazil
Under US-backed right-wing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, 2019 has seen an 84% increase on 2018 in slash and burn fires (over 80,000) deliberately set to clear land for mining, logging and agriculture. Bolsonaro has actively backed agro-capitalists and those looking to clear large areas of the Brazilian rainforest for commercial farming. Bolsonaro’s hate speech has encouraged invasions of indigenous territories by land traders, miners, loggers, cattle ranchers, soybean growers, claiming ‘It is too much land for so few Indians’.
In addition, agrochemicals use in Brazil has increased dramatically since 2016, with a record 450 new licenses in 2018 with Bolsonaro responsible for 201 new products being made available. the extensive use of agrochemicals damages human health (contaminating the water supply of one in four Brazilian cities), the environmental biodiversity, and economic sectors, such as food production ($11bn in 2018) exported worldwide. Russia, Brazil’s fifth-largest soybean importer, is considering suspending grain imports if ‘corrective measures’ aren’t taken to avoid the contamination by agrochemicals.
West Africa
The biggest rates of deforestation globally are in west Africa led by Togo which lost an average of 5.75%/year of its forests from 2005-2010, followed by Nigeria (4%) and Ghana (2.19%). Any rate above 1% is considered alarming. Brazil’s rate (in 2016) was 0.42%/annum; as indicated above this is on the rise. The Democratic Republic of Congo (0.2%) and Indonesia (0.7%) are not too far behind. Togo’s current rate of forest cover is 24.4% with pronounced degradation. Agriculture and the consumption of wood energy are the main drivers of deforestation. In Ghana, the reason behind the cutting down of trees is usually for charcoal, pasture for livestock, farms, urban or industrial purposes.
Reducing emissions from deforestation is important due to climate change. However the causes of deforestation are rooted in an current economic system that dominates the world, namely capitalism and imperialism, with underdeveloped countries trapped in poverty and debt and needing to seize their natural resources to develop. Under imperialist domination and the capitalist system there is no way to develop in a sustainable manner without destroying the environment.
Cuba
The above situation stands in stark contrast to the situation in socialist Cuba. Cuba, the only nation in the world to have achieved sustainable development, has increased its forested area to 31%. Prior to the revolution, just 13% of the country was covered by trees; forestation has accelerated during the county’s socialist period. Cuba has a state policy of reforesting areas cut down for farming and mining operations. Cuba is also affected by forest fires, (3000 hectares annually), and a further 3000 hectares are cleared annually for mining operations. However, Cuba has an average reforestation rate of 16,000 hectares per year, outstripping what is lost. Protecting forests doesn’t have to come at the expense of economic growth. Mining is one of Cuba’s largest industries, but under Cuban law, mining companies allowed to clear forests, are also under obligation to replant the same number of trees, and this must be completed within two years.
Charles Chinweizu
Sources: http://forestindustries.eu/ ; https://www.telesurenglish.net/
