Deforestation rates have increased this year in Brazil, although economic slowdowns are reducing overall consumption in the developed world. The 4% jump over last year's figure, which was the first increase in nearly four years, was probably spawned by high commodities prices that incentivized farmers to illegally deforest wooded areas.

Though combustion of non-renewable fuel sources is the primary source of carbon emissions in the world's largest economies, the situation is different in the developing world, where deforestation and other land use changes are by far the most significant contributors to global warming. Unlikely names like Indonesia are making it onto the list of the world's largest contributors due to their deforestation-driven emissions.

As bad the the 4% increase is, things likely would have been worse had Brazilian authorities not stepped up enforcement campaigns against illegal logging and farming operations. With deforestation losses as high as 30-40% anticipated, the combination of regulatory enforcement and subsidization to farmers to not deforest their land is proving to be a cheap and effective approach to limiting worldwide carbon production.

Photo: World Resources Institute