Global Citizens Assignment #1 - Google Docs

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Oct 30, 2023

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Commodity-Driven Deforestation Commodity driven deforestation is when forests are destroyed and converted for an alternative use, such as mining or agriculture. This is a permanent form of deforestation and the restoration of trees is unlikely. According to the provided map, commodity driven deforestation is most prevalent in South America in the countries of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina and also in the continent of Asia in the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Upon further research, the most discussed driver to commodity driven deforestation in areas such as these may ultimately be related to socio-economic inequality, lack of policies for regulation, and global demand. Shifting agriculture is the clearance of a smaller area of forests for the intention of farming and agriculture. These areas are later abandoned, allowing the cleared area to become naturally restored and grow back to a healthy state. Shifting agriculture seemingly occurs in Central America and South America, primarily the area between Mexico and Brazil, and in central Africa. More specifically, it seems to be occurring between the latitudes of 14° N and 18° S in these continents. There may be a few possible drivers to conversion of forest to agriculture in areas such as these. Looking specifically at Africa where it seems to be more condensed, I would start by looking at their population growth. According to Africa: Total Population Forecast 2020-2050 (n.d.), Africa’s population increased from 811 million to just over 1.37 billion between 2000 and 2021. This population increase subsequently increases the demand for food, thus leading to the clearing of more forests for agricultural use. In relation to this, another driver to shifting agriculture could be due to economic factors and poverty. Farming may be the primary source of subsistence for the communities and also the primary source of income if they are exporting these goods. Between the two categories, commodity driven deforestation is definitely more likely to lead to actual forest loss. Shifting agriculture is performed with the intent to restore the land, if

the land is destroyed, lost, and unusable, there is a reduction of scale and production for whatever is intended to grow there. This means loss of resources for local and global communities. The intent of commodity-driven deforestation is to destroy that forest for the permanent conversion to a new land use for commodities such as palm oil, soy, beef, minerals, and oil and gas (“RELEASE: New Study Finds More than a Quarter of Global Tree Cover Loss Is Commodity-Driven Deforestation,” 2018). While still a source of deforestation and considered permanent, urbanization comes in as the lowest driver of global forest loss, only contributing to 0.6% of it, which is surprisingly small with the continuous increase in global population. I chose to research the country of Argentina. The primary forest product exported for Argentina was wood pulp at around 54% of the total forest product export (America, 2023). Based on the data researched, the pattern of commodity driven deforestation fluctuated throughout the years. We can see in the following graphs below that there was a substantial decade-long increase in forest loss between the years of 2003 and 2013. Throughout this decade the numbers of forest loss weren’t consistent across the board but the overall numbers are larger than that of the years prior to 2003 and after 2013. We can additionally determine from the graph to the right that there is a pattern showing that with the increase in export quantity (demand), there was equally an increase in overall export value for wood pulp.

When comparing both graphs below, I think there is a noticeable correlation shown between commodity driven deforestation and export value, you can see that when one changes, the other seems to follow in a similar direction, whether positive or negative. In regard to commodity driven deforestation and export quantity, you can see that export quantity is slightly more linear in its trend with much less noticeable spikes in its numbers. With commodity exports being the top driver in deforestation for Argentina and wood pulp being 54% of that total export product, I do think this commodity overall has contributed to forest loss in Argentina. Along with this, I also think that consumerism in the United States contributes to forest loss in Argentina. Based on the data through FAO, the United States import quantity of wood pulp is consistently above 5 million tons each year. This amount surely proves a demand and strain on other countries to supply. While Argentina's export numbers aren’t in the same ballpark as the United State’s import numbers, you can probably expect that the US has many suppliers for the demand of wood pulp, Argentina most likely being one of them.

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The most evident example that first came to mind for how local decisions in the U.S. can influence global patterns is construction and housing. Living in Florida, I’ve personally seen over the years much of our own land being destroyed for urban expansion. It seems like everytime you drive down 275 or I4 there's a new subdivision preparing to be built. With this comes the local decisions for zoning regulations and land use policies. This increase in demand for timber products, just in our state alone, can affect the demand placed upon our countries for exporting. Higher demand for forest products has the potential to escalate deforestation and exploitation of other countries' resources. There are a few policies that the U.S. could adopt to reduce commodity driven deforestation. Starting with importation itself, the U.S. could implement stricter import regulations and be more transparent for consumers. Strict import regulations could require exporters to disclose their business practices and encourage consumers to purchase from those who are practicing more sustainably. This is also important for consumer awareness because some may not want to partake in the business of accelerating deforestation and be responsible with their purchases. Another policy we could approach that may encourage reduction of deforestation are financial incentives for those countries who practice sustainability and bring those incentives into negotiations for future trade agreements.

References Africa: total population forecast 2020-2050 . (n.d.). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1224205/forecast-of-the-total-population-of-africa/#:~: text=The%20population%20of%20Africa%20has America, G. to S. (2023, January 13). The Forestry industry in Argentina: Opportunities and challenges for this neglected sector . Real Estate and Investment News from South America. https://www.gatewaytosouthamerica-newsblog.com/the-forestry-industry-in-argentina-op portunities-and-challenges-for-this-neglected-sector/#:~:text=Paper%20and%20pulp%20 account%20for%2054%25%20of%20forestry%20exports. Ceddia M. G. (2019). The impact of income, land, and wealth inequality on agricultural expansion in Latin America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(7), 2527–2532. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814894116 Conflicting Data: How Fast Is the World Losing its Forests. (2017). Conflicting Data: How Fast Is the World Losing its Forests? Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/conflicting-data-how-fast-is-the-worlds-losing-its-forests RELEASE: New Study Finds More Than a Quarter of Global Tree Cover Loss is Commodity-Driven Deforestation. (2018). Www.wri.org . https://www.wri.org/news/release-new-study-finds-more-quarter-global-tree-cover-loss-c ommodity-driven-deforestation#:~:text=27%20percent%20commodity%2Ddriven%20de forestation Socio-economic inequality driving deforestation in Latin America . (2019, February 22). Www.consultancy.lat. https://www.consultancy.lat/news/990/socio-economic-inequality-driving-deforestation-i n-latin-america#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMore%20than%20half%20of%20deforestation Vizzuality. (n.d.). Argentina Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW . Www.globalforestwatch.org. Retrieved September 17, 2023, from https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/ARG/?map=eyJjYW5Cb3VuZCI 6dHJ1ZX0%3D