FORESTS

 

Forest Loss

If the net forest loss of all territories between 1990 and 2000 is summed, 31% occurred in South America, and 21% was in Asia Pacific. Worldwide, territories with net forest loss lost 1.33 million km² of forest over this ten year period. Despite this, South America was the region with the largest forested area in the world in 2000. The more forest area there is, the more it is possible to lose.
Japan is unexceptional, having neither forest loss nor forest growth from 1990 to 2000.
The area of Africa covered by forest was reduced by 550 000 km² in the 1990s. This includes the loss of forests that covered 11.4% of Zambian land.

Traditional Fuel

   

Traditional fuel includes wood, charcoal, bagasse (sugar cane waste), and animal and vegetable wastes. This fuel can be waste material from another process. It is usually sourced locally and sometimes can be free. Thus it is not surprising that people living in Central Africa have the highest per person traditional fuel usage, given the poor infrastructures there and relatively weak economic position.
Ironically Equatorial Guinea, where the most traditional fuel (per person) is used, exports considerable quantities of oil. The Middle East, source of most of the earth’s oil, uses the traditional fuel equivalent of only 77 kilograms of oil per person.