Forests are being raped and pillaged. Every second one hectare of forest is felled. They do not regenerate because the soil and microclimate are damaged. Instead weeds prosper.
We allow it. Governments benefit from it through logging rights. Politicians and police benefit from kickbacks. We benefit from cheap wood.
But nature is a closed system and we will pay for our carelessness as the productive capacity of this planet is degraded. The debt will be collected sooner than we would like to believe.
We could change our priorities. We could stop wasting money on military buildup, subsidising the fossil fuel industry and food production in rich countries. Will we? Will you?
BBC: Illegal logging makes billions for gangs, report says
World Bank: Justice for Forests pdf
Comments