Of all the continents in the world, Africa seems to be the hardest hit as deforestation results in the drying of water bodies, extinction of species and the loss of human life.
Africa has been cutting down its trees for wood and charcoal, it is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa 70 per cent of people cook over wood fires.
According to the Environmental News Network every year the country loses forests the size of Switzerland. The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) says that Africa is losing more than four million hectares of forest a year. This is twice the world’s average deforestation rate.
Deforestation also translates to carbon emissions and African households are releasing the equivalent of at least a fifth of all carbon emissions globally and this is set to increase.
Many countries in Africa are coming together with the help of international bodies to assess and consider options to deal with the problem.
