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Deforestation and forest degradation are the cause and result of climate change. Forests absorb CO2, acting as a “sink” but, when damaged or destroyed (eg fires and deforestation) become a “source” releasing CO2 into the atmosphere.

Up to one fifth of global CO2 emissions are due to indiscriminate felling of trees. This, while impoverishing the soil and leaves it vulnerable to erosion and water evaporation, further contributing to climate change. With increasing drought and human pressure on forest cover, it is in danger.

Because climate change is expected to increase in droughts and fires. In many cases fires are associated with deforestation, whose accelerating effect on desertification is known. Often, due to logging is seeking to implement intensive monoculture soils highly demanding in energy, water, fertilizers and toxic oil that contaminate groundwater and surface water.

The loss of forests and species affect everyone’s life with disproportionate economic costs in poor countries and developing countries.

Greenpeace calls for urgently undertake a serious struggle at international level to stop the deforestation caused by the irresponsible use of forest resources extraction and burning of forests to introduce livestock and even crops such as soybeans, largely for animal feed from countries industrialized.

The organization also calls for not using carbon sinks as a means to account for CO2 emissions reductions in the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms. There is no scientific evidence that these gases were captured by the vegetation can not easily go back into the atmosphere - because of fire, natural decay or harvesting of firewood.

The intensity and recurrence of forest fires are having dramatic effects on our soil, with effects irreversible in some cases. The steep slopes also increase soil erosion generating increasingly less productive. Avenues, flooding, silting of reservoirs and desertification are the result of repeated passage of fire for our ecosystems.