Today, March 21, the International forest day. It is intended to increase society about the importance of forests in the lives of people and the crucial role they play in the extermination of poverty, environmental and food security.
In 2012, the United Nations General Meeting proclaimed on March 21 as the International Forest Day. This celebration makes a tribute to the importance of all types of forests and attempts are made to increase consciousness.
Every time the International forest dayCountries are encouraged to accept initiatives at local, national and international level for the organization of activities related to forests and trees, such as plant campaigns trees.
Amazon
Within the framework of International Forest Day 2025which is celebrated today, March 21, Ecologists believe that 2025 is an important year for the future of the Amazon regionsince the next Conference of the parts of the Framework Convention of the United Nations regarding climate changethe COP30will be held in the city of Belém in November, in the Brazilian state of Paraá.
The Amazon, the largest tropical region on the planet, is a huge region with 9 countries and comprises 7 million km2 in the equatorial comic in South America. It is a very heterogeneous and diverse, fundamental area to maintain resilience in the light of changes in ecological regime under the effects of global climate change.
The Amazon is a crucial part of the earth climate system . Environmental activists warn that, Avoid deteriorating climate change and the loss of biodiversity and to guarantee the survival of indigenous peoples, It is essential to stop the deforestation and relegation of the Amazon.
The Amazone region continues to lose the forest area, biodiversity and the ability to regulate it again. The indigenous peoples who inhabited continue to see the rights over their areas and the use of their resources.
Over the past 40 years, in the Amazone region, It has disappeared A forest surface equal to almost twice the surface of Portugal and Spain together.
For this reason it is estimated that Between 36 % and 57 % of the tree species of the Amazon are threatened Due to forest destruction. Because of this intense relegation, between 2010 and 2019, the Amazon Brazilian has released the atmosphere 20 % more carbon dioxide than the absorbed, making it a net emission source.
If the Amazon constantly becomes a net source of emissions and loses his sink function, it can speed up global warming and aggravate climate change.
Agroustrie is the great responsible for deforestation
According to the IPCC, in 2050 The Agri -Food will be the sector with the highest number of greenhouse gas emissions, prior to energy production or transport.
The IPCC also notes that this sector has a soothing potential of up to 70 %. In the short term, the reduction of deforestation in tropical regions has the largest total mitigation potential in agriculture, forestry and other use of the country.
Deforestation is the most important responsible for the high participation of the food sector in polluting emissions in Brazil. After the logging of trees with commercial interest, the use of fire (Queimada) is the tool used to convert the remains of the forest into crops and meadows.
And this one Burns throw large amounts of polluting gases in the atmosphere. According to the Brazilian climate observatório, Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of grain and beef, and this production is responsible for 73.7 % of the greenhouse gas emissions of Brazil.
The Deforestation caused by land expansion for animal husbandry and breeding 56 % of the total emission sector (3). Moreover, the Livestock is responsible for 30 % of methane emissions in the worldA gas with a powerful greenhouse effect.
Despite the fact that a shorter life in the atmosphere is CO2, methane is 80 times more powerful than CO2, making it a key factor in global warming. Their emissions are those who have increased the most from the pre -industrial era (265 %, much more than CO2) and the second greenhouse gas is with most emissions worldwide, also in Spain.
90 % of the decorated areas of the Amazon have become meadows to feed cattle
In the case of the Amazon Brazilian, 90 % of the default areas have become meadows to feed the cattle hut, while the remaining surface is soybeans that are largely exported to third countries, such as Spain.
Soybean cultivation is expanding and in 2022 he already covered nearly 7.28 million hectares in the Amazon Brazilian, around 8,400,000 football fields. Spain is the third largest European soybean importer from countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
The vast majority of soy imports is intended to produce food to feed industrial cattle. Because of one Unbridled expansion of industrial cattleThis sector, in addition to unambiguously contributing to deforestation, is already in Spain the person responsible for 76 % of the emissions of the agricultural sector and 62 % of the total methane emissions.
Banco Santander, Finance deforestation in Brazil
The Santander Bank in Brazil is the largest international bank responsible for the financing of the three major producers and exporters of the meat of Brazil: JBS, Marfrig and Minerva.
These meat companies are those who are linked to the deforestation of the AmazonThe closed and other Brazilian trees, and they are the same companies that lead the methane emissions.
In one report Van Greenpeace on methane emissions by the meat industry, published in October 2024, is pointed out that some customer companies of Banco Santander-such as JBS, Marfrig and Minerva are among the five largest companies of methane that the meat and dairy sector issue.
Among these companies, the JBS Giant, the largest protein producer in the world and the second largest food company worldwide. It is estimated that this meat giant is responsible for more methane emissions than registered by large oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell together.
In September 2023, an investigation by Uncarhed and whether Joio EO Tarwe brought a scandal to the emission by JBS of “green” misleading ties, that the Santander Bank He helped on the market, but that was partly intended for Brazilian agricultural and livestock farming accused of damaging the environment and allowing the existence of slave work, including JBS. It has recently been published that JBS Company managers have taken a step back with regard to their commitments for carbon armorization.
And forests in Spain?
Very far from the problem of deforestation, which influences other latitudes, the forest area is increasing in the Spanish state. 56 % of the total Spanish surface is considered as a forest areaNothing less than 28,391,780 hectares.
Of this surface, 19,239,973 hectares correspond to forested forest area, which means 38 % of the territory. This data puts our country in the Second in the European Union in the amount of forest sherit goodsAfter Sweden and for Finland, Germany, France or Poland.
In addition to being a foresting forest within the EU, the forest area is increasing. Since 1990 it has been presenting an average growth rate of nearly 73,000 hectares, and in the last 25 years the wooded area has increased by 4.6 million hectares.
The national exodus from the mid -1980s and leaving the activities of the primary sector On agricultural and forest surfaces, they are covered behind this rise of surfaces with bushes and trees in spaces that are previously intended for crops and grass surfaces.
Although we have more forest area, an important part of our mountains is in a situation with a high risk because of the structural problems of the Spanish rural environment, such as deserting, Lack of management and the strong decrease in the extractive activity of forest sources (wood, firewood, resin, cork, extensive cattle).
Also for the effects of climate change, which sharpen and extends Diseases and vermin that cause the weakening and even the death of the trees, and by the Increased risk of large forest firesWith an extension of the high -risk season and with new typologies that make large and high severity fires more frequent.