How Bad is Deforestation? Global Forest Watch Quantifies the Problem

When it comes to the intersection of technology and the environment, I live for staying abreast of the cutting edge developments - so, by default, you get to as well! Last week, one innovative solution combining the two really caught my eye: Global Forest Watch. Google, University of Maryland, the US federal government and more than 40 other organizations have teamed up to create a near-real time deforestation monitoring platform. So, if you're looking to tell a better story about the benefits of FSC Certified wood utilized in LEED construction, this website could make it easier for you to quantify and illustrate the global problem of deforestation.

The group of forward-thinking intellectual organizations networked to use their powers for the good of the wood, creating an interactive platform that shed’s light on just how big of an issue deforestation is for the world. (Between 2000 and 2012, our precious planet experienced a net loss of 1.5 million square kilometers. To give you a better visual, that’s roughly the equivalent of 50 football fields worth of trees being chopped every minute of every day for 12 years!)

Using on the ground information from campaigners and locals, as well as millions of satellite images, the Google Earth Engine leverages algorithms created by the University of Maryland to generate an almost-real time global map of what’s happening to our forests. In essence, this tool will keep a better eye on those areas that are protected and, hopefully, significantly curtail the destruction of critical forest areas - especially rainforests.

One of the greatest aspects of this technology is that it can send out alerts to pre-determined networks when it discovers dangerous activity, and the appropriate members of those networks can then be dispatched to handle the problem. But the environmental impact isn’t the only one worth noting. GFW may be a sign of a new collaborative way of solving some of the world’s most daunting challenges.

Felipe Calderon, the former President of Mexico, hailed the technology as a sign of changing times in networking for global causes: “The partnership we are launching will, I believe, change the current paradigm that in the fight against climate change it is corporate interests versus governments versus activists.”

Be sure to check out the interactive map here and see what kind of forest activity is happening near you, and around the world.