Source: Benjamin J. Hulac, ROLL CALL, 6/2/20


Deforestation of tropical old-growth forests increased last year, according to new satellite data set to be unveiled Tuesday, wiping out acreage roughly the size of Switzerland in a period when experts are raising alarms about the transmission of a variety of diseases, including the novel coronavirus, that jump between animals and humans. Earth in 2019 lost 9.3 million acres of primary tropical forests — swathes of pristine ecosystems that humans had left largely untouched. Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia saw the largest losses, while Bolivia and Australia experienced record tree losses for those countries due to wildfires.

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