So often, when I think about deforestation, I think of greedy businesspeople with fat cigars and gold chains pointing towards the Amazon while dreaming of their next swim through a vault of cash. But that’s not always the case.
At least a third of the time… if not more… deforestation is driven by ordinary people trying to put food on the table for their families. In Burundi, charcoal was the most visible example of how this works.
Trees can be made into charcoal.
Charcoal brings in quick cash.
But the loss of trees drives soil erosion.
Soil erosion leads to food insecurity.
It’s a vicious cycle.
That’s why I don’t see climate action and development against poverty as separate streams. If you don’t pay attention to both, efforts only go so far.
