PROTECTING FORESTS FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL

As an environmental sustainability advocate, I constantly ask myself this critical question: "What comes first, the last tree or the last man?" This question underscores the essential connection between human survival and the health of our environment. As adage says: "if the last tree dies, the last man dies".

Trees are vital for producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, and maintaining biodiversity. Yet, deforestation and land degradation continue at alarming rates. Between 2015 and 2020 alone, the world lost an average of 10 million hectares of forest annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (FAO, 202. This deforestation significantly contributes to climate change.

A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted that land-use changes, including deforestation, account for nearly 23% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, 2019).

Efforts to combat this trend have shown promise. Forests store about 45% of the world's terrestrial carbon (FAO, 202. A study published in Nature in 2019 found that restoring forests on a global scale could remove two-thirds of all the carbon dioxide emissions that humans have added to the atmosphere (Bastin et al., 2019). Additionally, research by the World Resources Institute indicates that reforestation and improved land management could potentially reduce global carbon emissions by up to 30% (Griscom et al., 2017).

This implies that, to secure a sustainable future, we must prioritize the preservation and restoration of our forests. By doing so, we ensure not only the survival of trees but also the health and longevity of humankind.

Let's commit to protecting our environment, recognizing that the fate of the last tree and the last man are closely connected.

#sustainable Forest Management
#healthy and Sustainable Communities
#climate Change Reduction strategy