Forest pathology

Aerial view of an area of Amazon rainforest deforested by illegal fire in the municipality of Labrea, Amazonas State, Brazil, taken on Aug. 20, 2024.

Deforestation continued last year at a rate far beyond pledges to end the practice by 2030, according to a major study published Tuesday.

The Amazon rainforest has lost an area about the size of Germany and France combined to deforestation in four decades, fueling drought and record wildfires across South America, experts have said.

The world's biggest jungle, spanning nine countries, is crucial to the fight against climate change due to its ability to absorb planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The European Union has resisted calls from some industries and countries to delay its flagship policy to fight deforestation, a letter seen by Reuters on Friday showed.

"For years, we've been witnessing the decline, but it has reached alarming levels over the past decade. Climate change and the proliferation of invasive species are exacerbating the situation.

A variety of Turkish exports to the European Union are set to face new regulations to indicate forests were not harmed through the supply chain, aimed at preventing deforestation.

More than a year after countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030, the world is continuing to lose its tropical forests at a fast pace, according to a report issued Tuesday.

Experts say Turkey and Greece must put aside traditional rivalries and find a joint solution to the growing threat posed by invasive marine species such as the balloon fish.

More than 100 countries pledged on Nov. 2 to end deforestation in the coming decade, a promise that experts say would be critical to limiting climate change but one that has been made and broken before.

World leaders meeting at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow will on Nov. 2 issue a multibillion-dollar pledge to end deforestation by 2030 but that date is too distant for campaigners who want action sooner to save the planet's lungs.

An area of pristine rainforest the size of the Netherlands was burned or hacked down last year, as the destruction of the planet's tropical forests accelerated despite a global economic slowdown, according to research on March 31.