Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forest land. This has taken place for thousands of years for agriculture, fuel and manufacturing. But the rate at which deforestation is happening has increased dramatically over the last 100 years. Each year, we lose 15 billion trees and deforestation contribute 20% to carbon emissions annually. What is even worse, is that ecosystems are destroyed across the globe, causing a 70% drop in biodiversity since 1970 and threatens our food and water supply in the future. We need to fight back against deforestation, get involved in tree planting and shop in a way that discourages deforestation. This is easier than you think and requires a few small actions from you. If everyone did this, this would have a huge impact on reducing the problems from climate change.

Avoid eating beef

Deforestation to raise cattle is the main driver for deforestation. This is taking place the most in South America, mainly destroying the Amazon rainforest. Beef is big business in Latin America, and this is the main reason for 94% of biodiversity loss in South America. The Amazon rainforest is close to the tipping point of dying out. If everyone globally cut out beef from their diet today, it could halve deforestation. There would be much less incentive to cut down rainforest to graze cows because the demand simply would not be there.

Buy products with responsibly sourced palm oil

Palm oil is the second largest reason for deforestation, accounting for 23% of deforestation particularly in Indonesia. Many companies and individuals have chosen to boycott palm oil, but this is not necessarily the best policy.  It is hard to substitute for palm oil as it acts as an effective binding agent for products we buy in the shops. Palm oil is in products as wide ranging from household cleaning liquid to shampoo to food. Palm oil crops produce a high yield compared to other substitutes, which means switching to alternatives would only lead to more deforestation. As a consumer, the best thing to do is to buy products with responsibly sourced palm oil.

Buy substitutes for paper products

Paper products are the third main reason for causing deforestation, causing about 13%. There are ways to avoid buying paper products. There are increasing number of products made from bamboo, such as kitchen roll and toilet roll, which are good substitutes. Products made from recycled paper, such as toilet roll and printing paper made from recycled paper, have a lower carbon footprint than virgin paper products.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

You can reduce the number of wood-related products from the way you use them. The more single use products you buy, the more you are contributing to deforestation. Buying reusable products, such as reusable coffee cups, bags, drinking bottles helps to avoid producing more waste. Buying second hand furniture, clothes and jewellery or repairing what you have at home also extends the life of existing products. When it comes to recycling, the most important thing to remember is to recycle paper products properly. You need to put them in the right bin by placing it in the recycling bin instead of the general bin. Also make sure the paper is not contaminated with grease or any food item, because it cannot be turned into a new product.

Plant trees for free from your phone

A way of reducing the impact of deforestation is to contribute to tree planting projects. You do not need to plant trees yourself or even pay to do it. Apps such as Ecosia and Treeapp allow you to plant trees around the world for free. Ecosia is a search engine life Google and Yahoo, and you raise funds by using it. Treeapp only requires you to watch an advertisement for 30 seconds to plant a tree in a country of your choice. Planting trees today could not be easier.