How does deforestation affect climate change?

Chloe Bruce describes the harms of deforestation and how chopping down trees affects climate change in varied and surprising ways.

Trees are one of Earth’s most precious natural resources. We have been using them as fuel for our fires and to build shelters with for as long as human beings have existed. In more modern times, we use trees for a wide range of things, from harvesting their fruit for producing oil preservatives to churning them into pulp to make paper for packaging. In fact, if you look around you, you will probably see dozens of products that originally came from a tree. 

In this culture, it can be easy to forget that it is not just us who need trees. The earth and many of the animals that call it their home rely on forests and jungles to survive. So what happens when humans get rid of all the forests?

“More than half of the forested land of the Eastern side of North America has been cut down.”

What is deforestation?

Deforestation is the intentional destruction of forested land. Humans cut down forests so that they can clear the land for other uses, such as making space for planting crops, building settlements or grazing animals. We also cut down forests to make use of the trees in manufacturing and construction. As the National Geographic explains, deforestation has been happening for thousands of years and has hugely changed the face of the planet. This Our World in Data Chart shows how 10,000 years ago, 57% of the world’s hospitable land was covered in forest. Since then, we have lost 2 billion hectares of forest.

Deforestation has accelerated rapidly in the modern age, with half of that loss happening in the last 100 years. For example, more than half of the forested land of the Eastern side of North America has been cut down since colonization in the 1600s. Most deforestation right now is happening in the Amazon Rainforest, with 20% of it disappearing in the last 50 years.

Cutting down all these trees isn’t just changing what the world looks like; it is having a direct impact on Earth’s survival mechanisms. The climate feels the effects both immediately and over the long term.

Why is deforestation bad for the climate?

The effects of deforestation are serious and wide-ranging. Not only does it destroy habitats and ecosystems, threatening the world’s biodiversity, but it also contributes to climate change. Deforestation accounts for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at 12–20%, making it one of the largest single contributors after fossil fuels.

Forests are also important to combatting climate change, since they act as carbon sinks. This means that they absorb more carbon than they release. Forests remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in trees and soil. The Amazon is often called the “lungs of the world” because of its role as a carbon sink.

According to NASA satellite analyses, forests absorbed an estimated 15.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ annually between 2001 and 2019, while deforestation, fires, and related disturbances released about 8.1 billion metric tons per year. This illustrates how critical forests are in regulating the global carbon budget.When forests are cleared, whether for agriculture, cattle grazing, mining, or urban expansion, this stored carbon is released back into the air as CO₂ and other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. This amplifies the greenhouse effect, trapping more heat in the atmosphere and accelerating global warming. Forest loss also reduces the earth’s future capacity to absorb emissions, intensifying the warming trend, as fewer trees remain to “soak up” carbon.

“Forests play a fundamental role in regulating the earth’s temperature, water levels and carbon dioxide levels.”

Effects of deforestation on the water cycle

The Environmental Literacy Council explains how deforestation disrupts the water cycle. Trees draw water up from the soil and release it into the atmosphere as vapour through a process called evapotranspiration. This process leads to the formation of clouds, which then leads to rainfall. This is a vital biological process for regulating the planet. Removing forests affects this process, often leading to drier regional climates, reduced rainfall, and more frequent drought conditions. This puts further stress on ecosystems and human communities. Without the cooling effects of evapotranspiration, cleared land becomes hotter and drier. This not only contributes to rising local temperatures, but can also feed a cycle of increasing heat and wildfires.

Forests not only help create rain, but they also help the Earth manage too much rain. Forests absorb rainwater into the soil, ensuring that groundwater sources are replenished and reducing soil erosion and flooding. This means that without forests, we may get less rain than we need over time, and when we get a lot of rain all in one go, we will be less able to manage it. Ultimately, forests play a fundamental role in regulating the earth’s temperature, water levels and carbon dioxide levels.

“With forests come the hope that we can restore balance to the planet.”

Solutions to deforestation

The only way to stop deforestation is to change how we live. The simple fact is that our way of living relies on clearing too much of the world’s forested land. As Greenpeace explains, businesses need to do more to create ‘zero deforestation’ supply chains and governments need to enact laws to protect forests. Only 40% of deforestation-prone countries have measures to protect forests. Even then, illegal logging is a huge issue and significantly contributes to deforestation. As the WWF shows, data from 2019 indicates that illegal logging was tied to 15–30% of global timber production and accounted for 50–90% of logging in many tropical countries. The international community needs to do more to tackle illegal logging.

Greenpeace also argues that supporting indigenous communities is important to protecting forests, as indigenous communities are often on the frontline of battling deforestation and tend to do more to protect forests when they have control of their land. Indigenous people are threatened by deforestation directly, as illegal logging operations violently target vocal indigenous leaders. Four indigenous leaders were murdered by illegal loggers on the Peruvian-Brazilian border in 2014. Global Witness reports that 62 deforestation campaigners have been murdered or disappeared in Peru since 2012, with 35 of them being indigenous defenders.

What can I do to help stop deforestation?

We can all do our part in combatting deforestation by choosing more sustainable ways of living. For example, avoiding products which use palm oil. Much of the deforestation happening in tropical forests is to make use of land for palm oil production. Pay more attention to the ingredients in your peanut butter and cosmetic products and try to choose ones without palm oil. You can also choose recycled or sustainably sourced wood products for your home. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council certification on paper and wood products, or try to reduce the amount of disposable paper you are using. 

While industrial carbon emissions remain the dominant driver of climate change, protecting forests is a key strategy for mitigation. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), halting deforestation could reduce annual global emissions by about 4 gigatonnes of CO₂ by 2030, helping nations stay closer to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.

Preserving forests is not just about saving trees; it is about maintaining a vital climate buffer that supports rainfall patterns, stabilizes temperatures, and buys humanity time in the broader fight against climate change. With forests come the hope that we can restore balance to the planet.