Primarily because they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, one of the major greenhouse gases, trees are a major part of the climate change solution.
According to The National Geographic, although forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, they are disappearing at an alarming rate (1). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that, since 1990, more than 420 million hectares has been lost (2).
A well-known area of concern is in South America where around 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been lost over the past 50 years (3). If this increases 20-25, a potential tipping point could be reached which could see the largest rainforest on Earth could become decimated into dry grassland.
Another major area of concern is the Canadian boreal which is losing one million acres of forest per year (4). Comprising a ring of spruce, firs and pines, and covering more than one billion acres, the boreal forest contains one quarter of the remaining intact forest ecosystems on the planet (5).
A large percentage of the trees logged in the boreal are pulped and turned into toilet paper, tissues and paper towels for sale in the United States(4). According to a 2019 report from The Narwhal, “Americans consume 20 percent of the world’s toilet paper…” and “many brands rely on fibre from the Canadian boreal” (4).
The report goes on to highlight that around 30 percent of toilet tissue fibre comes from whole trees from clear cut forests and that governments are doing very little to address the issue.
Most toilet paper brands across the world refuse to incorporate recycled or alternative fibres into their products. This is despite the fact that research has shown that 85 percent of consumers want toilet paper companies to use more environmentally responsible materials(4).
References
- National Geographic. (n.d.). Deforestation. Retrieved from [Online]
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). The State of the World's Forests. Retrieved from [Online]
- Amazon Conservation Association. (n.d.). Threats to the Amazon Rainforest. Retrieved from [Online]
- The Narwhal. (n.d.). Canada clearcuts one million acres of boreal forest every year — a lot of it for toilet paper. Retrieved from [Online]
- Watson, J. E. M., Shanee, S., Di Marco, M., & Walston, J. (2016). Locations of the 10 largest intact forest blocks on earth. Retrieved from [Online]
- Environment America. (n.d.). Trees for Tissues: A Trade-off That American Companies Can End. Retrieved from [Online]