Political action in Brazil and Colombia has led to a big decrease in tree loss in tropical forests, according to a new study. The Brazilian Amazon saw 39% less trees being cut down, while Colombia had almost 50% less loss of primary forests. These countries have made protecting the environment a priority under new leaders, and it's showing positive results. However, the progress made in Brazil and Colombia was offset by more tree cutting and fires in Bolivia, Laos, and Nicaragua. Overall, tree loss worldwide increased by 25%, mostly because of forest fires in Canada.

The wildfires in Canada had a big impact on tree loss around the world, causing a fivefold increase compared to the previous year. But experts say that intentionally clearing mature rainforests in tropical areas is the most important factor in dealing with climate change. These primary forests store a lot of carbon, which is crucial for preventing global temperatures from rising too much. Tropical regions have been the main focus of deforestation caused by humans over the past 50 years.

In 2023, the tropics lost 3.7 million hectares of forest, which is like losing 10 football fields every minute. However, the losses would have been even higher if it wasn't for the efforts of Brazil and Colombia. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government in Brazil reduced primary forest loss by 36% compared to the previous year. Similarly, President Gustavo Petro Urrego's actions in Colombia led to almost 50% less loss of primary forests.

Although the reductions in tree loss in Brazil and Colombia are important, they are still higher than in the early 2010s. Not all regions in Brazil saw improvements, with the Cerrado experiencing a 6% increase in tree loss. Bolivia, Laos, and Nicaragua also had more tree loss, mainly because of fires and expanding agriculture. Indonesia had more losses too, but the rate is still lower compared to ten years ago.

Overall, the study shows that tree loss worldwide is a mixed picture. The world has only six years left to fulfill the promise made at COP26 in 2021 to stop deforestation. Experts stress the need for urgent action to deal with the climate and nature crises, as the high rates of deforestation show that progress is not going as planned.

Original news source: Dramatic drop in logging in key Amazon countries (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article together and create a concise summary of the main points. After a set amount of time, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: "Do you think political action is effective in reducing tree loss?" Ask each student to write down their opinion (yes or no) and a brief explanation. Then, divide the class into pairs or small groups and have them discuss their opinions. After the discussion, conduct a poll by asking each student to share their opinion and explanation with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Create a list of key vocabulary words from the article, such as deforestation, primary forests, climate change, etc. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and be given a vocabulary word. They must draw a picture that represents the word without using any letters or numbers. The rest of their team must guess the word within a set time limit. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a different section of the article. Instruct them to create a visual representation of their section through a sketch or drawing. After they have finished, have each pair present their sketch to the class, explaining the key points and main ideas from their section.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Instruct the class to imagine they are environmental experts. Ask them to discuss in pairs or small groups what they believe will happen in the future regarding tree loss and deforestation. They should consider factors such as political action, climate change, and global efforts to protect the environment. After the discussion, have each group share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to support their predictions with evidence from the article or their own knowledge.

Political action in Brazil and Colombia has led to a big decrease in tree loss in tropical forests, according to a new study. The ? Amazon saw 39% less ? being cut down, while Colombia had almost 50% less loss of primary forests. These ? have made protecting the environment a priority under new leaders, and it's showing positive results. However, the progress made in Brazil and Colombia was offset by more tree cutting and fires in Bolivia, Laos, and ?. Overall, tree loss worldwide increased by 25%, mostly because of forest fires in Canada. The ? in Canada had a big impact on tree loss around the world, ? a ? increase compared to the previous year. But experts say that intentionally clearing mature rainforests in tropical areas is the most important factor in dealing with climate change. These primary forests store a lot of carbon, which is crucial for preventing global temperatures from rising too much. Tropical regions have been the main focus of deforestation caused by humans over the past 50 years. In 2023, the tropics lost 3.7 million ? of forest, which is like losing 10 football fields every minute. However, the ? would have been even higher if it wasn't for the efforts of Brazil and Colombia. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government in Brazil ? primary forest loss by 36% compared to the previous year. Similarly, President Gustavo Petro Urrego's actions in Colombia led to almost 50% less loss of primary forests. Although the reductions in tree loss in Brazil and Colombia are ?, they are still higher than in the early 2010s. Not all ? in Brazil saw improvements, with the Cerrado experiencing a 6% increase in tree loss. ?, Laos, and Nicaragua also had more tree loss, mainly because of fires and expanding agriculture. Indonesia had more losses too, but the rate is still lower compared to ten years ago. Overall, the study shows that tree loss worldwide is a mixed picture. The world has only six years left to fulfill the promise made at COP26 in 2021 to stop deforestation. Experts ? the need for ? action to deal with the climate and nature crises, as the high ? of deforestation show that progress is not going as planned.

1. What is deforestation and why is it a problem?
2. How would you feel if you lived in a country with a lot of tree loss?
3. Do you think protecting the environment should be a priority for all countries? Why or why not?
4. What actions do you think countries can take to reduce tree loss?
5. Do you like the idea of intentionally clearing mature rainforests? Why or why not?
6. How do you think tree loss affects climate change?
7. What can individuals do to help prevent deforestation?
8. Why do you think tree loss increased worldwide by 25%?
9. How would you feel if your country had a high rate of deforestation?
10. Do you think the efforts of Brazil and Colombia are enough to combat deforestation? Why or why not?
11. How do you think deforestation affects wildlife and biodiversity?
12. What would happen if we didn't have any trees in the world?
13. Why do you think some regions in Brazil didn't see improvements in tree loss?
14. How do you think deforestation affects indigenous communities?
15. What can we do as global citizens to stop deforestation?

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