Deforestation impacts climate change more than fossil fuel use, new study finds

‘Curbing the use of fossil fuels is often singled out as the best way to tackle climate change, but a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters shows that the problem of deforestation should not be overlooked as it contributes far more to climate change than once believed.
The new paper, which is titled, “Are the Impacts of Land Use on Warming Underestimated in Climate Policy?” illustrates the dramatic impact that deforestation has on climate change. In fact, it shows that even if all fossil fuel emissions were somehow eliminated, we would still note a 1.5-degree rise in global warming if the current tropical deforestation rates maintain their current pace through the year 2100.
Part of the reason for this, as the paper’s lead author Natalie M. Mahowald points out, is that the particulates that are released when fossil fuels are burned might be harmful to our health, but they actually have a cooling effect on the climate. Therefore, removing them would make it even more difficult to reach the lower temperatures set out by the Paris agreement.’
Read more: Deforestation impacts climate change more than fossil fuel use, new study finds