The loss of forests to make space for grazing

I remember investigating carbon sequestration during ESS, and I found myself interested in the role forests play in storing carbon and transforming it into biomass through photosynthesis. To mitigate the effects of climate change, mainly driven by the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, planting more trees seems like a viable solution. Scientists estimate that by restoring a forest the size of the USA, we would be able to capture two-thirds of the greenhouse emissions emitted in the world (ETZ Zurich University). Additionally, trees are vital in preventing droughts by releasing water vapor back into the atmosphere through transpiration, helping mitigate the effects of climate change. Sadly, we have already lost one-third of our forests (roughly twice the size of the USA) due to deforestation. Even more concerning is that the rate at which we are losing our forests is accelerating. Our world has lost more forest area in 100 years than in the previous 9000 years. Today, deforestation occurs in mostly rainforests, which are home to 50% of plant and animal species on the earth, putting these species at significant risk of extinction. After finding out about the destruction of forests, I wanted to understand why we have cut down so much of our forests. Currently, agriculture expansion is driving roughly 90 percent of global deforestation. Tackling climate change will require finding ways to produce more food on less land.