Tropical Forests Still Getting Slaughtered — 11 Football Fields a Minute Despite Big Drop

Tropical Forests Still Getting Slaughtered — 11 Football Fields a Minute Despite Big Drop The world lost 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary rainforest in 2025, a 36 percent drop from the record losses the year before, but the destruction is still happening at a staggering rate equivalent to 11 football fields every minute [136356]. While researchers at the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland called the decline "encouraging" and a sign of what decisive action can achieve, they warned that the ongoing pace remains far too high to meet global climate goals [136356]. At the same time, global warming is making wildfires more frequent and intense, eating away at the progress made in cutting down forests directly [136088]. Scientists say the trend shows that simply reducing forest loss is not enough—fighting climate change itself is essential to protecting the world's remaining trees [136088]. Forests act as critical "carbon sinks," absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, and protecting them is vital for managing global carbon levels [8843]. The destruction of old-growth rainforests—which store huge amounts of carbon and house vast wildlife populations—releases large quantities of greenhouse gases into the air [136356]. The 2024 record year saw 6.4 million hectares cleared, driven by fires and agricultural expansion in countries like Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and while the 2025 improvement marks a positive step, experts say continued efforts are needed to protect what's left [136356]. Meanwhile, the rush for lithium, cobalt, and nickel—metals essential for batteries and microchips and now called the "oil of the 21st century"—is creating severe problems in poor communities, draining water supplies, destroying farmland, and poisoning people with toxic heavy metals, according to a new UN report [136146]. Tropical Forest Loss Slows, but Still ‘11 Football Fields a Minute’ Deforestation Hits Decade Low in 2025, but Wildfires Surge A Global Push to Curb Carbon Emissions Critical minerals are ‘oil of 21st century’ as demand fuels poverty and pollution in poorer countries