Report: Deforestation Jumped 10% Last Year Despite Global Pledges

Facts

Despite pledges made at the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow in 2021 to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, the destruction of the world's rainforests continues, according to a new study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) published Tuesday, which cites University of Maryland data.¹
Last year, the world lost 4.1M hectares (around 16K square miles) of primary rainforest — about the size of Switzerland — giving rise to 2.7B tons of carbon dioxide, which corresponds roughly to the annual emissions of India. In total, the world emitted 43B tons of greenhouse gases.²
According to the WRI, the loss of tropical forests in 2022 surpassed 2021 levels, with Brazil making up more than 40% of all losses.³
After Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia accounted for the greatest losses, while Indonesia and Malaysia saw deforestation kept at a record low, largely thanks to tight policies, such as a ban on new licenses in primary forests and peatlands.⁴
According to scientists, burning tropical forests releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, driving up global temperatures, and any decrease in forest volume is particularly concerning as the ecosystems can't easily be replaced by planting trees elsewhere.⁵
Scientists have further cautioned that unless action is taken soon, the Amazon could transform into a grassy savannah, compromising the world's ability to tackle climate change.⁶

Narrative A, as provided by Axios. We're headed in the wrong direction. The world's tropical rainforests are in jeopardy from logging due to agricultural expansion and cattle grazing. The rainforests must be protected because they are a vast terrestrial carbon sink, and if they disappear, they will have an enormous negative impact on climate change and biodiversity. Clearly, voluntary commitments aren't sufficient to keep rainforests intact; we must take legislative action to protect them.
Narrative B, as provided by Euronews. Although deforestation indeed contributes to climate change, some scientists have argued that there are two factors that aren't being acknowledged: the significance of location and something known as 'the albedo effect,' which is the process in which forests retain heat. Depending on the area, deforestation could either warm the planet or potentially cause a cooling effect. More research is undoubtedly required.