NPR

Tropical Forests Suffered Second-Worst Loss Of Trees On Record Last Year

In 2017, 39 million acres of tree cover disappeared, an area as big as Bangladesh. "The report is telling a bleak picture," researcher Mikaela Weisse said. "What we are doing right now isn't enough."
An Indonesian ranger inspects a peat forest fire in Aceh province in July 2017. Indonesia, unlike most of the world, lost less overall tree cover than usual last year.

Last year marked another record year of loss for tropical forests.

About 39 million acres of tree cover disappeared in 2017 – an area the size of Bangladesh – according to by the World Resources Institute. That amounts to 40 football fields every minute for a whole year, making it the second-worst year of tree loss on record. The worst.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min read
A Woman With Failing Kidneys Receives Genetically Modified Pig Organs
Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.
NPR4 min read
130 Million Americans Routinely Breathe Unhealthy Air, Report Finds
Climate change is making it harder to meet clean air goals, says the 25th annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.
NPR3 min readCrime & Violence
South Koreans Sue Government Over Climate Change, Saying Policy Violates Human Rights
Plaintiffs including 17-month-old boy nicknamed Woodpecker bring landmark climate litigation in South Korea, the first in Asia to get a public hearing.

Related Books & Audiobooks