DEFORESTATION At a deforestation rate of roughly 2% each year [80,000 square miles a year, over an acre per second], the forest cover on Earth will be reduced to 10% its original coverage soon after the turn of the century, to a tiny remnant by 2050. Forests play a pivotal role in the stabilisation of the Earth's climate. The loss of forests, particularly tropical rain forests, changes local weather patterns which in turn affects global climate. If not rectified, …showed first 75 words of 1186 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1186 total…Everywhere) is planting more than 50 million trees over a period of 10 years. In addition to their agricultural benefits, these trees will soak up 15 million tons of carbon. Projects such as these are especially promising because they address not only ecological problems but also the economic problems that are the driving force behind deforestation. If they can be duplicated and carried out on a world-wide basis, there may be real hope for preserving the world's forests.