Deforestation is the large-scale, often permanent removal of forest cover, typically through logging, burning, or land conversion for agriculture, infrastructure, or resource extraction, resulting in the reduction or fragmentation of forest ecosystems. As a research topic, it encompasses quantifying forest loss using remote sensing and geospatial analysis, assessing impacts on carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, hydrological cycles, and soil integrity, and examining social-ecological drivers such as governance, commodity markets, and land-use policies. Deforestation studies also investigate feedbacks to climate systems, resilience thresholds, and the effectiveness of interventions including protected areas, certification schemes, and zero-deforestation supply-chain commitments.
The end-Triassic mass extinction, 201 million years ago, is linked to volcanism that resulted from the break-up of Pangea and which pumped out vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, causing extreme global warming of 5 to ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 21, 2026
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Forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon fell to a historic low in 2025 after peaking the previous year, according to a report published Tuesday.
Environment
Jul 21, 2026
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The collapse of a landmark Amazon soy pact will drive at least 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) of extra deforestation in Brazil over the next decade, releasing carbon emissions equal to Canada's annual output, according ...
Environment
Jul 17, 2026
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50
Tropical forests are essential for biodiversity, climate regulation and carbon storage. Yet they continue to disappear at an alarming rate. Many companies have adopted zero-deforestation commitments to reduce this trend. ...
Environment
Jul 15, 2026
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When you think of a South American rainforest, you probably don't imagine biting winds, heavy frosts and freezing temperatures. But in the mountains of southern Brazil, that's exactly what you can find. On this highland plateau, ...
Environment
Jul 13, 2026
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When a record-breaking drought and heat wave swept across China's Yangtze River Basin in 2022, forests across the region faced an extreme test. The event provided a rare opportunity for researchers to test how different forests ...
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to its lowest level in a decade in the first half of the year, according to official figures released Friday.
Environment
Jul 10, 2026
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25
New roads bring changes to the regions they traverse. They can enable job opportunities, access to medicine and health care, and electricity. But they also disrupt local ecosystems and can have surprising consequences for ...
Environment
Jul 8, 2026
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Pan Sok still remembers his relative screaming as a tiger dragged him away one night, deep inside the Cambodian rainforest where they were tapping trees for resin.
Ecology
Jul 8, 2026
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In the past 30 years, floods have affected more than 2.8 billion people worldwide and caused more than 500,000 deaths. In Canada, flooding has caused significant damage and disruption to communities across the country. The ...
Environment
Jul 7, 2026
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