A third of climate emissions could be offset by stopping deforestation and restoring forest land, which recent estimates suggest could be achieved at a much faster rate than cutting fossil fuels. The report also found that the world needs to cut carbon dioxide levels in half from 2010 levels, or 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared with pre-industrial levels. "One could reduce total CO2 emissions by about 30 percent, just working the land sector," said the president of the Woods Hole Research Center. Brazil recently pledged to achieve "zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030" but major deforestation will still occur up to that point.
A third of climate emissions could be offset by stopping deforestation and restoring forest land, which recent estimates suggest could be achieved at a much faster rate than cutting fossil fuels. Conservation biologist Thomas Lovejoy's research project in Brazil has shown that the Brazilian Amazon, which has already lost nearly a fifth of its forest cover, is continuing to suffer, as the remaining forest is more fragmented and less continuous. "One could reduce total CO2 emissions by about 30 percent, just working the land sector," said the president of the Woods Hole Research Center. Brazil recently pledged to achieve "zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030" but major deforestation will still occur up to that point.