Doing Your Bit: Tree art against deforestation

Brazil has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in South America, but while the country is distracted, the Amazon rainforest has lost over 1,200 square km so far in 2020. This is up 55% from last year.

Amazon deforestation rose by 34.4% year-on-year in Brazil, the country's space agency INPE has said, revising its numbers based on satellite observation. The latest data does not include last year's forest fires.

In Germany, a young designer is transforming plastic trash into durable tiles that look like real marble. By using heat and pressure she mimics the natural processes that create rocks in the first place.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest this year reached its highest level since 2008, government data shows. The destruction comes as President Jair Bolsonaro continues to weaken environmental regulations.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased by 9.5 percent between August 2019 and July 2020 compared to the exact previous period, which is the second consecutive record in 12 years, according to official preliminary data. of 2020 fires in the Brazilian Amazon

Nigerian artist Olalekan Olasekan doesn't want to see trees being cut down and wood being wasted. His art draws attention to the animals and insects losing their habitats through deforestation.

In Cameroon, an entrepreneur is turning unused banana and plantain stems into biodegradable paper packaging products. The idea cuts down on both deforestation and harmful plastic waste.

A project in Nigeria is promoting sustainability and combating climate change through organic farming practices. Instead of chemicals they are showing people how to make and use organic alternatives.

A young Congolese designed a wind turbine in his parents’ backyard in Kinshasa. It generates enough electricity for his household. Now, Francy Kalonji plans to expand production to supply his neighbors with electricity.

More than 100 world leaders, including Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, are supporting the agreement at the climate summit. Activists say it greenlights "another decade of deforestation."

A pledge to end deforestation by 2030 is the first headline agreement from COP26. But environmentalists say the world's forests will not be saved by a political declaration alone.

This comes after the Brazilian government committed to end illegal deforestation at the UN climate summit in Glasgow.