Fires drove record loss of world’s forests last year, ‘frightening’ data shows

Burning, worsened by global heating, overtook farming and logging as biggest cause of destruction of tropical forests

The destruction of the world's forests reached the highest level ever recorded in 2024, driven by a surge in fires caused by global heating, according to frightening" new data.

From the Brazilian Amazon to the Siberian taiga, Earth's forests disappeared at a record rate last year, losing an area the size of Italy to agriculture, fires, logging and mining, according to analysis from the University of Maryland hosted on Global Forest Watch.