Part 13/15:
The series highlights that deforestation accounts for a sizable share of global emissions—up to 20% annually. Southeast Asia's forests are rapidly disappearing, mainly for palm oil, rice, and livestock. Every second, a patch of forest a size of multiple football fields is lost, with devastating implications for climate stability.
Efforts are underway to restore and replant trees in Singapore, with government initiatives aiming to plant a million trees. While planting trees is beneficial, experts warn it’s insufficient on its own; the scale of afforestation needed to offset food-related emissions is enormous, and land constraints remain a challenge in a small, highly developed city-state.