Fires in the Amazon drive record-shattering global forest losses in 2024
Massive fires fuelled by climate change have led to global forest loss smashing records in 2024, according to a report issued on Wednesday. The loss of tropical pristine forests alone reached 6.7 million hectares (16.6 million acres), roughly the size of Panama, marking an 80 per cent spike compared to 2023. Brazil, the host of the next global climate summit in November, struggled to contain fires in the Amazon due to the worst drought ever recorded in the rainforest.
The rate of tropical primary forest loss in 2024 was equivalent to losing 18 soccer fields of trees per minute. Canada and Bolivia, along with many other countries, were also heavily impacted by wildfires, affecting both tropical and boreal forests. It was the first time the annual report showed fires as the leading cause of tropical forest loss, a significant milestone for a naturally humid ecosystem not supposed to burn.
Globally, researchers estimated that more than 4.1 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases were released due to forest fires last year, surpassing the emissions from air travel in 2023. Bolivia surpassed the Democratic Republic of Congo as the second country with the most tropical forest loss, despite having less than half the forest area. Bolivia’s forest loss surged by 200 per cent in 2024 due to drought, wildfires, and government-incentivized agricultural expansion.
In Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia saw decreases in primary forest loss, credited to domestic conservation policy, community efforts, and private sector involvement. Latin America, particularly the Amazon biome, experienced its highest level of primary forest loss since 2016. Brazil lost 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres) of forest, the most of any country, reversing progress made in 2023.
Outside the tropics, boreal forests in Canada and Russia faced record-high tree loss in 2024 as wildfires escalated. Canada’s devastating 2023 wildfire season accounted for more than half of global forest loss due to fire that year. This trend indicates that the global community is far from achieving the goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030, as stated in the Glasgow Leaders Declaration signed by world leaders in 2021.
As leaders prepare to gather in the Amazonian city of Belem for the next climate summit, there is a call for countries to introduce better funding mechanisms for conservation. The current situation suggests that there is more financial incentive to cut down forests than to preserve them. The alarming data from 2024 highlights the urgent need for coordinated global action to address the escalating crisis of forest loss driven by climate change.
