New research shows natural forest regrowth, as opposed to reforestation by tree planting, can capture more carbon dioxide from the air than previously thought.

Increased emissions lead to higher temperatures and more fire-prone conditions. More fires mean more emissions, fueling rapid climate change.

Fires, pest infestations and stunted tree growth— climate change could have big negative impacts on the forests we know and depend upon.

The 1.5 mark holds special resonance in the climate struggle. In the Paris Agreement, Parties agreed to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius for the best chance at avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. This August, a special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unveiled another 1.5 mark: temperatures over land have already risen […]

Hundreds of communities across the US are developing ambitious climate action plans to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but most overlook a critical piece of the puzzle: trees. Across the US, forests and trees offset 13 percent of national emissions. With improved conservation, restoration and land management, that number could jump to 21 percent. […]

Protecting tropical forests is essential for achieving the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. Global Forest Watch Climate recently released estimated carbon dioxide emissions associated with the 2017 tropical tree cover loss data, and the numbers demonstrate more of what we already knew. If tropical tree cover loss continues at the current rate, it will be nearly impossible to keep warming below the […]

By Nancy Harris and Carolyn Ciciarelli Since GFW Climate launched in Paris last December, we have been hard at work to move users beyond just viewing pixels on a map to better understanding how those pixels translate to real world impacts on international climate change mitigation efforts. GFW Climate has released three new features that […]

By Sofia Soto Reyes Last year, Indonesia’s fire season was one of the worst on record. As such, vigilance in monitoring weather conditions is crucial. This task has been made easier as GFW Fires recently released a Fire Risk map. Satellite-based data on temperature, humidity, and rainfall is used to estimate how wet or dry tree […]

By Nancy Harris and Sarah Sargent Tersedia dalam Bahasa sini. Peat drainage canals, combined with fire, are used to make land more suitable for agriculture. Photo by Julius Lawalata, World Resources Institute (Flickr). Tropical regions face an emissions challenge from an important, but relatively little-known source: drained peatland. Peat soil, made up of partially decomposed, wet […]

By Hidayah Hamzah and Reidinar Juliane Peat swamp forests of the Katingan Peatland Reserve in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by James Anderson/WRI (Flickr). Peat forests, or wetlands, are some of the most important ecosystems for Indonesia and climate change. The country holds the largest tropical peatland in the world, which acts as a major carbon sink. […]

By Fred Stolle, Taryn Fransen, Ranping Song, Hana Biru, James Anderson and Octavia Payne As countries refine their national commitments (called INDCs) presented at the climate negotiations under way in Paris, it is important to think beyond power plants and automobiles. Forestry, agriculture and other land use represent more than 20 percent of global emissions, and are […]

By Nancy Harris and Sarah Alix Mann Between 2001 and 2013, greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation across the world’s tropical forests were, on average, larger than Russia’s economy-wide emissions in 2012. That’s 2,270 million metric tons (Mt) of carbon dioxide every year. Emissions from tropical deforestation have significant implications for implementation of the new national […]