Climate Change
Carbon dioxide levels are higher than any previously recorded in the last 800,000 years1. This is largely as a result of combustion of fossil fuels, emissions from agriculture, and deforestation. This increase in greenhouse gases, such as CO2, is polluting the atmosphere and causing the stability in the climate to shift.
Ozone depletion
The pollution of the atmosphere is causing the depletion of the ozone layer, resulting in increased levels of harmful solar ultraviolet radiation. As the ozone layer gets thinner, the amount of UV rays that can penetrate it increases.
Degraded air quality
Currently 1 billion people inhabit areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Not only is this bad for human health, but it also negatively impacts the levels of biodiversity in those areas, posing a severe risk to many species of flora and fauna.
Degraded water quality
Water is a valuable global commodity. The quality of water can become degraded by terrestrial run-off containing elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphates from agricultural land and human settlements.
Deforestation
Our planet currently has a net loss of 10 billion trees a year2– an area the size of the UK is being lost annually. If deforestation continues at this rate, in as little as 300 years, there could be no trees left. Both exploitation of forests and organised felling contribute to deforestation of the world’s forests, destroying biodiversity and livelihoods within the surrounding area.
We need to make a change.
The Opportunity
Our planet is in a state of emergency. Current woodland cover in England stands at a mere 10%3– worryingly low when comparared to the EU average of 38%4.
The UK government has committed to zero carbon levels by 2050, and to plant up to 30,000 hectares of woodland per year5. Current levels of planting are far below this, with inadequate incentives for landowners to use their land for forestry and other environmental schemes.
Without further action and greater levels of tree planting, carbon dioxide levels will continue to increase with catastrophic consequences for our climate and our planet.
This raised awareness of the climatic crisis creates an opportunity for change. The UK government’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is only feasible with significant forward-thinking, collaborating and passion. This is how the Forest Canopy Foundation (FCF) was formed.