Trees are absolutely vital to all life on Earth. To be blunt—humans cannot survive without them: they are nature’s air purifiers, constantly cleaning our atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing the oxygen that sustains us. They cool our cities and neighborhoods, protect our precious soil from extreme weather by reducing storm damage and flooding through their root systems and canopy cover.  They feed us, provide us with raw materials for building and construction. 

Entire ecosystems and millions of species, insects, birds, mammals, fungi, and other organisms, depend on trees. 

Nearly one-third (34%) of all global forest loss from 2001 to 2024 is likely permanent, meaning these trees will not grow back naturally. In tropical primary rainforests, which are vital for biodiversity and carbon storage, the figure is even higher, 61% of forest loss between 2001 and 2024 is linked to permanent land use change such as agriculture and urbanization. 

This data highlights that a significant portion of the tree cover lost in the first two and a half decades of the 21st century is gone for good and global deforestation rates have put the Earth at risk of climate change acceleration.  The case for protecting and expanding our global tree cover has never been more urgent.

Higher Greenhouse Emissions

Trees not only produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, but they are also one of Earth’s greatest vacuum cleaners of greenhouse gases, using carbon dioxide and, becoming vast carbon sinks through their trunks, branches and root systems. In 2023, the U.S produced 4,682 million tons of carbon emissions, accounting for 12% of the world’s total carbon emissions. That same year it was estimated that trees absorbed over 800 million tons of carbon a year in the U.S alone. 

However, we are losing trees at an alarming rate. Within 2024 alone, tropical forest loss was estimated to be the equivalent of losing 18 soccer fields of forest per minute. Read that again, per minute!

As forests are cleared, not only do we lose the oxygen they supply, and their ability to absorb carbon but each individual tree lost also re-releases the carbon dioxide they stored back into the atmosphere, causing our Earth to heat up more in the process. 

It is Not Too Late

A recent study found that 482 million acres of land worldwide — an area the size of Mexico — is available for tree restoration. While this figure is smaller than previous estimates, since 2022 this study has estimated that tree restoration holds the potential to remove roughly 5% of total global fossil fuel and land-use change emissions. 

Projects like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Tree Project help to reforest areas in dire need of rehabilitation, including areas with some of the world’s most at-risk communities from climate change such as Morocco, Madagascar, and Bangladesh to name just a few.  

Declining Precipitation

Trees play an important role in the Earth’s ability to make rain, also known as precipitation cycles. They do this through use of evapotranspiration, which is the process of absorbing water through their roots and then evaporating it back into the atmosphere as moisture, through their leaves. But forest loss can result in decreased precipitation, hurting ecosystems and communities that rely on rainy seasons.

Critical tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon and the Congo rainforest, drive regional precipitation and climate patterns far beyond their borders, creating rains which are especially critical during dry seasons.

In many regions of the world, such as the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, extended losses of precipitation has led to increased risks of drought and crop failure. 

For example, the 2020-2023 drought in East Africa was the worst in over 40 years, with 5 failed rain seasons, that saw an estimated 43,000 people die in Somalia alone. More than 10 million livestock died. Following this East Africa drought, another drought struck in 2024, this time hitting Southern Africa, resulting in maize crop failure and widespread hunger in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. 

Stronger Floods and Storm Surges 

Just as in dry seasons, wet seasons can also come with climate disasters that trees help to mitigate. 

During heavy rains, floods, and storm surges often caused by rising sea-levels induced flooding, trees help to slow stormwaters, starting from their leaves and all the way down into their roots. 

Leaves slow the speed of rain hitting the ground which gives the roots more time to absorb the water. Root uptake of excess water prevents soil erosion and is estimated to prevent nearly 400 billion gallons of runoff each year across the United States.

In coastal areas that experience intense hurricanes and monsoons, mangroves, a species of tree that is able to live in submerged, salty land somewhere between the land and the sea, act as important barriers to fast moving waters by taking the brunt force of the ocean’s waves. This limits inland flooding, erosion, infrastructure damages and human fatalities.   

Mangroves are found in tropic and subtropic locations all over the world including in parts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia, and the island nations of Oceania. But many mangrove forests are in decline due to human development as in the Niger River Delta, increased toxics and pollution for example in the Papua province of Indonesia, and through stronger and more intense storms triggered by climate change, such as along the Florida Coastline of the United States. 

Threats to Indigenous Cultures 

More than 1.6 billion people worldwide strongly depend on forests for food, medicine, fuel, and their livelihoods. Particularly dependent on forests are many Indigenous peoples who use traditional knowledge, sustainable agriculture, and resource management to ensure their forests’ survival. Traditional forest caretaking has been a way of life for Indigenous peoples worldwide for over  a millenia and continues to benefit Earth’s forests. 

In 2023, industrial development threatened nearly 60% of Indigenous Peoples’ lands in 64 countries around the world. In the Amazon, the world’s largest forest, as of 2019, 68% of Indigenous lands and protected natural areas in the region are under pressure from infrastructure, mining, oil drilling, forest fires, and deforestation. Of this 68 percent, 22 percent of these lands are subject to specific mining and oil pressures. 

Trees also hold spiritual importance to many indigenous cultures around the world. Many trees are regarded as having spiritual qualities, including the sacred trees of Aboriginal and Australian First Nations communities, the western red cedars of the Coast Salish Tribe, and baobabs in the oral traditions of the Hausa people. A loss of trees is a loss of indigenous culture, harming spiritual connections, resources, and tradition.

Rebuilding Forests One Tree at a Time

Deforestation causes immense environmental and societal impacts, but supporting reforestation efforts like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Tree Project — which has planted tens of millions of trees since its inception in 2010 — can help to counteract the devastations of deforestation. With your help we can continue this crucial work to strengthen communities worldwide, restoring forests and mending ecosystems for Our Power, Our Planet.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post The Costs of Cutting Down Trees appeared first on Earth Day.

Madagascar, the Earth’s oldest island, is home to rich history and a landscape like no other. Within this east African island resides thousands of unique plant and animal species, 90% of which cannot be found anywhere else. Unfortunately, a spike in deforestation within the last few decades has threatened Madagascar’s biodiversity. Research estimates 50% of Madagascar’s original forest cover has disappeared since humans first made contact with the island 2,000 years ago. In a nation so dependent on its natural ecosystems, climate change has jeopardized the wildlife, the forests, and the Malagasy people. 

The island’s rich diversity includes a wide variety of organisms. From an abundance of trees and vegetation, to thousands of wildlife species, including lemurs and chameleons, Madagascar’s unique ecological landscape is what makes its one-of-a-kind ecosystem possible. Unfortunately, changing weather patterns have made a number of the island’s keystone species vulnerable. One noteworthy example is the baobab tree, a tree so ancient and sturdy one was found dating back to 1600 a.d. But, the durability of the baobab does not protect it from the threat of climate change, as forest fires devastate the habitats.

The baobab tree is joined by hundreds of organisms in Madagascar who are on the endangered species list, like its primary helper, the lemur. Lemurs are responsible for pollinating trees throughout the island as they eat and digest fruit while swinging from tree to tree, spreading seeds throughout the forest and catalyzing new tree growth. Just as the lemurs and trees have created a symbiotic relationship, the flora and fauna of Madagascar work in harmony with one another to sustain the health and prosperity of the island.

Along with 150,000 other animal species, lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, meaning they can only be found on this east African island. The most endangered group of mammals, some estimate that 98% of lemurs will be extinct within the next 20 years. The relationship between lemur and tree has allowed the island to flourish for all these years, but human influence has begun to threaten the balance. 

An island with eons of history and unparalleled levels of diversity, Madagascar is a place like no other. Yet, with the threat of climate change and deforestation more imminent than ever, we must do what we can to protect our forests. The Canopy Project works globally to plant trees in some of the most at-risk places, including Madagascar where we planted over 125,000 trees in 2022.

The post Madagascar Lemurs at Risk appeared first on Earth Day.

On the east coast of Brazil in the dense canopies of the Atlantic Rainforest in Rio de Janeiro, lives one of the most endangered populations on Earth: the Golden Lion Tamarins. The Golden Lion Tamarins are one of four species who are a part of the Lion Tamarins family located in Brazil. These tiny, silky-coated, golden-haired monkeys were very close to extinction back in the 1960s and 1970s due to illegal pet trade, poachers, and habitat loss, which left them with 2% of their original habitat and reduced their population size to less than 200 individuals. 

Since then, the Golden Lion Tamarin population has risen steadily to nearly 2,500 individuals, with many living in zoos, sanctuaries, and the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil. The Golden Lion Tamarins weigh 1.2 lbs on average, and can live up to 15 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity. They received their name from their magnificent ring of hair that resembles the reddish gold color of a lion’s mane.

Golden Lion Tamarins spend their days roaming the tree cover and canopies in the lowland portion of Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest, using their long tails to help them balance from branch to branch. Their long, slender fingers help them dig for insects, fruit, and small vertebrates to eat. The Golden Lion Tamarin are always born as twins. When they are born, the siblings and father help the mother raise the twins in the canopy away from predators such as large snakes, raptors, and cats. 

The Golden Lion Tamarin population hit a major setback in 2018 when yellow fever hit Southeast Brazil resulting in a rapid decline of an already small population of Golden Lion Tamarin from 3,600 to 2,500. Golden Lion Tamarins are an important species within the Atlantic Rainforest.

The Brazilian Rainforest is the Golden Lion Tamarin’s only home. Deforestation and urbanization over the past generations has made it more and more difficult for the Tamarins to travel through the rainforest. However, because of The Canopy Project, population and habitat regrowth has improved and are continuing to improve throughout reforestation of the Atlantic Forest

EARTHDAY.ORG’s Canopy Project plants trees to help with the reforestation of the Brazilian Rainforest. Support our worldwide campaigns with a donation and help save our species.

The post Helping the Golden Lion Tamarin appeared first on Earth Day.

Updated March 21, 2025 by Emma Holm-Olsen

South America’s Amazon Rainforest is a lush, tropical rainforest filled with trees larger than life and beautiful wildlife you won’t find anywhere else in the world. If deforestation levels continue to rise, the Amazon, like every other rainforest around the world, will dry up, becoming a lifeless, flat, and barren wasteland with no evidence of the once thriving rainforest. Cutting down trees decreases our source of oxygen, increases atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and directly impacts the water cycle.

The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, is the continuous circulation or movement of water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and then precipitates back to land in the form of rain and snow. 

Other major processes within the water cycle include infiltration, runoff, groundwater, and transpiration: all different ways in which water moves across and through the ground. This cycle is important because it supplies water to all living organisms and regulates the planet’s weather patterns. Only 3% of all water in the world is freshwater, meaning 97% is unfit for consumption and irrigation. The water cycle circulates and transports freshwater, delivering clean water for drinking and agriculture.

The hydrological cycle heavily relies on trees to absorb the water in the atmosphere. Trees act as water reservoirs, taking in water from the soil and releasing it through its leaves, a process known as transpiration. The added moisture in the air results in cloud formation, leading to rainfall and the continuation of the water cycle. Transpiration also helps cool the surrounding air, just as humans sweat to cool down. 

As more and more trees get cut down, evaporation levels are disrupted, drying up the moisture in the air and throwing off the balance of the water cycle. A continual cycle of dry air, low humidity, and decreased precipitation will inevitably lead to a drought-prone, desert-like climate. 

Infiltration and runoff are additional components of the water cycle impacted by deforestation.

Normally, tree leaves and roots soak up rainwater, ensuring an adequate amount of infiltration and reduced levels of water runoff. However, deforestation results in the opposite: decreased infiltration and higher amounts of runoff. Without trees, there is nothing to hold the soil cover. Soil erosion rates are increased, leading to more frequent flooding and higher likelihoods of pollutants sweeping into nearby water reservoirs.

The ways in which deforestation is altering the water cycle in real time are perhaps most apparent in the Amazon. The Amazon’s climate, and that of surrounding regions, is heavily influenced by the considerable levels of moisture in the atmosphere, which provides high amounts of rain (hence the term “rainforest.”) Unfortunately, in the last 50 years, around 20% of the Amazon has been lost due to deforestation. If current trends continue, it is predicted that the Amazon will reach an irreversible tipping point by 2050, leading to rapid, large-scale ecosystem collapse. 

These massive changes to our planet’s forests pose significant risks to communities all over the world, including higher urban temperatures, more frequent wildfires and degraded air quality, but are having particularly devastating impacts on cities which are relatively close to deforested areas. São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil and just a four-hour plane ride from the Amazon Rainforest, has recently been suffering from one of the worst droughts in the country’s recent history, a direct effect of deforestation in the Amazon. 

Trees are the backbone of life. EARTHDAY.ORG’s campaign, The Canopy Project, plants trees to manage biodiversity, decrease carbon levels in the atmosphere, and fix the balance of the world’s essential hydrological cycle. Through The Canopy Project, we have rehabilitated heavily deforested areas, such as Cape Town, South Africa, by planting trees to restore the climate, increase rainfall, and preserve water in local aquifers. 

Your donations to The Canopy Project help safeguard critical environments struggling under the weight of deforestation by growing trees and protecting the balance of the water cycle.

The post How Deforestation Affects The Water Cycle appeared first on Earth Day.

Everywhere we look, we always seem to hear about how planting trees will protect our planet and reverse climate change. Corporations and governments from all over the world have committed to plant trees to offset their carbon emissions. Sounds simple, but will it be enough? 

Forests, such as the Amazon Rainforest, are some of the largest carbon sinks. The vegetation is responsible for storing large amounts of the atmosphere’s carbon, while also providing a home for many kinds of species. Even though these areas are vital to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and climate change mitigation, they are facing drastic rates of destruction and degradation. 

Every six seconds, one football field’s worth of tropical rainforest is lost due to human-induced deforestation. Millions of years’ worth of evolution and growth can be burned down and destroyed in a matter of seconds. Deforestation is actually one of the biggest sources of excess carbon dioxide, because as trees are cut down or burned, their stored carbon is released into the air. 

EARTHDAY.ORG has created The Canopy Project, aimed at reforesting and protecting biodiverse habitats around the world, while also focusing on strengthening communities at risk from climate change and environmental degradation. We have planted tens of millions of trees and are working with these communities to educate and inform others on the benefits of reforestation. The Canopy Project ensures high survival rates for its trees by raising saplings in nurseries and retaining a full time staff to care for the trees for up to three years after their planting date.

So, if deforestation is such a big contributor to climate change, isn’t planting more trees a simple solution? Yes and no — there are a lot of important factors to consider. 

Climate change has caused an increase in wildfires all around the world. Planting trees incorrectly, or even ignoring them during their first few years of growth, can aid in the spread of forest fires. This will burn down more trees, and further contribute to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 

Most importantly, it must be noted that it would be impossible to plant enough trees to absorb the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels. We must at the same time diminish our dependency on fossil fuels, and instead move toward green energy. Additionally, environmental protections and broader ecological restoration can accompany reforestation to help in the fight against climate change and provide many other benefits, such as improved water quality. 

Making small changes to your diet is one of the easiest ways to reduce your impact on deforestation and protect our remaining forests. Growing crops and raising livestock are some of the most major contributors to deforestation. By avoiding beef and minimizing your overall meat consumption, you can reduce deforestation while also conserving fresh water and decreasing carbon emissions. By avoiding products containing palm oil, a crop causing the destruction of some of the most biodiverse forests in the world, you can protect various species and our planet’s largest carbon sinks. 

Planting native species in your own backyard and supporting tree planting initiatives, such as The Canopy Project, are other great ways to contribute to reforestation. Ultimately, solely planting more trees will not reverse climate change and save our environment. We must also continue to work on reducing our carbon emissions, investing in renewable energy and embracing natural and technological restoration approaches to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change before it is too late.

To help us support reforestation through The Canopy Project, sign up as a member today.

This post was last updated on February 19, 2021.

The post Planting more trees can mitigate climate change — but not on its own appeared first on Earth Day.

Life has slowed to a crawl. 

In the United States alone, 22 million people have filed for unemployment since the second week of March. Meanwhile, the global GDP is expected to fall more than 3 percent. And as of Saturday afternoon, 159,620 people have died globally from the coronavirus. 

With all that’s at stake, we must do what we can to avoid these viruses in the future. But right now, we’re headed in the wrong direction: Pandemics are likely to be more frequent in the coming decades.

Infectious diseases have been rising since the 1950s, with an increasing number of them coming from animals — a strain of diseases called zoonoses. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that three out of every four new infectious diseases in people come from animals. 

We’ve seen examples of rampant zoonotic diseases in our lifetimes, like Ebola, SARS, H1N1 and yes, COVID-19. 

Part of this increase is from climate change. Climate change increases the likelihood of both zoonoses and vector-borne diseases because as the Earth warms and seasons shift, some species move from their habitats while others breed earlier in the year. 

But the other part of this is habitat destruction. As humans encroach and destroy habitats, like the Amazon Rainforest — where more than 20 percent of the rainforest has been cleared for farms, logging and more living space — they come in close contact with wildlife and all the diseases they carry. 

Research suggests that between 2003 and 2015, for every 10 percent of forest the Amazon lost, it gained 3 percent more malaria cases. 

And on top of making pandemics more likely, deforestation also contributes about 10 percent of emissions worldwide, making it a primary contributor to climate change. Rainforests, in particular, are huge carbon sinks, helping to slow climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in trees. Models typically predict this benefit will last decades more, but we’re quickly outpacing their intake. 

When we burn trees, all that carbon is released and heads back into the atmosphere, worsening air quality. Smoke from the clearing of forests for palm oil plantations in Indonesia, for example, began killing animals and humans in neighboring towns. And, research strongly suggests that any amount of air pollution increases the likelihood of dying from the coronavirus. 

New diseases are likely to emerge as medicines become less effective, but they won’t come nearly as frequently as with unchecked climate change. If we take climate action and stop or slow deforestation, all species will be safer and healthier. 

Stop deforestation by supporting companies that take an active role against it. And, this Earth Day, consider donating to The Canopy Project, where every dollar plants a tree.

The post Planting a forest could help prevent the next pandemic appeared first on Earth Day.

You cut a tree, you grow a tree. Sounds like basic arboreal math, right? Unfortunately, it might not be quite that simple.

A study published Tuesday in Global Change Biology found that repeated logging and re-growth of forests depletes soils of vital nutrients over time, pushing forest systems to ecological limits.

“Old-growth tropical forests that have been the same for millions of years are now changing irreversible due to repeated logging,” said first author Dr. Tom Swinfield in a press release from the University of Cambridge.

A tough leaf

Researchers used LIDAR-guided imaging spectroscopy to create high definition images of old- and new-growth tropical forest in northeastern Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. These images were then overlaid with nutrient measurements from 700 trees in the forest to map and compare old-growth with repeatedly logged forest.

The team found that logged and regrown areas had trees with tougher leaves and lower concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen than old-growth trees. But tougher leaves must mean more resilient leaves, so that should be a good thing, right? Not exactly.

“Nutrient depletion and tougher leaves suggest reduced nutrient availability because plants respond to their environment by investing in defenses: Tougher leaves are harder to eat,” said Swinfield in an email. “Fewer nutrients also favors tree species well adapted to these conditions, leading to changes in species composition.”

In other words, for trees in the far-flung tropical forests of the Pacific Ocean, it’s survival of the fittest.

Phosphorus for the rest of us

So what is it about these soil nutrients — and phosphorus in particular — that makes trees and ecosystems so reliant on them? Phosphorus is a nutrient so essential to trees that Swinfield called it “the glue that holds DNA together… it literally holds life together.”

Phosphorus comes from rocks, but as Swinfield explained, most tropical soils are too deep for roots to reach the bedrock and tap into the phosphorus there. Also, phosphorus is tightly bound to inaccessible molecules in soil, which further limits its uptake by plants.

Old-growth forests, however, sidestep this issue through natural ecological processes — through decomposition and uptake by roots, nutrients are continually cycled. Essentially, when a tree falls in the forest, it rots and releases its nutrients back into the top levels of soil. These nutrients are eventually absorbed by other trees.

Unfortunately, logging not only prevents the natural cycles of tree fall, decomposition and nutrient release; logging also exports large quantities of phosphorus (trees) out of forests, reducing access to this critical nutrient, Swinfield explained. And as logged forests increase, the differences between old and new forests become more pronounced.

While the study focused on the primary forests of the Danum Valley and Maliau Basin as reference sites, Swinfield suspects this research to be relevant to lowland tropical forests on ancient soils more generally. And when Swinfield says ancient, he means ancient — the Borneo forests are the second-oldest continuously forested area in the world and are about 130 million years old.

These forests have witnessed the comings (and goings) of the dinosaurs. But they’re currently under threat from the cause of the sixth mass extinction: us.

Heart of the palm

So, who’s cutting down these forests in the first place?

The forests of Borneo have lost more than half of its forests, a third of which has happened in just the last three decades.The key drivers of this deforestation are palm oil plantations, pulp plantations, forest fires and illegal logging, which also helps illegal wildlife trade, since cleared forests make wildlife hunting and capture as easy as shooting fish in the proverbial barrel.

Recent research finds that palm oil is the main driver, responsible for at least 39% of forest loss in Borneo in the last 18 years. Indonesia and Malaysia produce about 85% of the world’s palm oil, which makes its way into everything from chocolate and instant ramen to shampoo and lipstick.

In recent years, many public-facing campaigns have emerged to inform consumers and call for boycotts on the product.

Growing causes for concern, but also hope

Reforestation efforts are underway to restore burnt and cleared areas of forest in Borneo, both for their carbon sequestration benefits and the wildlife habitat they provide to thousands of species native to the island.

Despite their relative fragility, the world’s trees are remarkably resilient, capable of maintaining growth even when phosphorus levels decline. Nonetheless, humans should take the study to heart and recognize that reforestation is not a remedy to our global logging problem.

“Our findings suggest [tropical trees] may be changed permanently by logging, which creates an additional reason to preserve them beyond their uniqueness for biodiversity and as a carbon asset,” said Swinfield. “I’m hopeful that carbon markets will continue to grow and promote a financial mechanism to pay for the conservation of this irreplaceable global asset.”

If a tree falls in the Borneo forest, and there’s no one there to hear it (or to log it), does it make a sound?

We leave that quandary to the philosophers, but we also need to leave that felled tree on the ground — as this week’s research shows what a powerful role natural cycles must play in the health of our soil, our trees, our forests and our planet.

The post Repeated logging depletes soil, pushing forests to ecological limits, finds new study appeared first on Earth Day.

This year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, promised to incorporate sustainability. Though the games officially start on Friday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been committed from the beginning to build a sustainable future though ethical event planning and staging, innovations in design and construction, and improvements in energy, water, and waste management. Sustainability reports and agenda’s from the IOC ensure that the environmentally safe practices will be incorporated in all stages of the games—from construction to ethical supply chains and transit options for visitors.

The latest addition of the city’s commitment to sustainability sits three-meters high and six-meters wide at Copacabana beach —one of the venues for the Rio games. The iconic Olympic rings are made of 143 pounds of recycled plastic materials. Commissioned by the city government to combine art and sustainability, the rings are a reminder of the city’s commitment to recycling and environmentally responsible practices.

The opening show tomorrow will have hints of sustainability, especially reforestation. Brazil has faced international criticism in the past for allowing forested land to be cleared for projects and cattle grazing. More recently, there is criticism from a number of sources that state Rio has not come through on its sustainability commitments in advance of the Games. Polluted waterways in Rio are said to put athletes, guests, and residents at risk for disease though the city and the state spent $10 billion cleaning up waterways since 2009; some scientists warn that athletes could contract “superbugs” resistant to antibiotics. Additionally, throughout Brazil between August 2014 and August 2015, 2,200 square miles of forests were cut down—an area almost five times the size of Rio.

Earth Day Network planted over 40,000 trees in Brazil in 2013 and we need to do more. Combating deforestation, protecting the Amazon—the world most biologically diverse forest ecosystem—and providing locals with healthy forests to provide fresh water should be a priority not only in Rio, but throughout Brazil. The double standard of sustainability in the city for the Rio Games, while the rest of Brazil faces pollution and deforestation must be reconciled.

The post Double Standard: The Rio Games and Environmental Ruin appeared first on Earth Day.