Implicaciones para el sector privado de los efectos no relacionados con el carbono de la deforestación tropical

This executive summary, authored by Alice Gerow and Frances Seymour for the World Resources Institute, outlines the material risks that non-carbon biophysical effects of tropical deforestation pose to the private sector. It argues that while many companies focus on carbon emissions and reputational risks, the loss of forests directly threatens agricultural productivity and worker health through changes in local temperature and regional precipitation, thereby destabilizing global supply chains.

• Tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than if only carbon emissions were considered, as forests influence the climate through four non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo (solar energy reflection), evapotranspiration (moisture release), surface roughness (wind turbulence), and aerosols (particle release).
• Deforestation impacts climate stability at regional and local scales. Regionally, it can reduce rainfall across national borders; for example, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon affects precipitation in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Locally, it can cause extreme temperature spikes, with some communities experiencing increases of over 7.6°C during the hottest part of the day.
• The loss of tropical forests creates direct material risks for agricultural productivity. In Brazil, extreme temperature increases caused by nearby deforestation led to a 12% decrease in soy productivity, costing 99 USD per hectare annually. In Argentina, a 2017 drought potentially linked to Amazonian deforestation caused crop losses exceeding 1.5 billion USD and a total economic impact of approximately 4.6 billion USD.
• Deforestation-induced heat stress reduces labor productivity and threatens worker health. In the Brazilian state of Pará, the number of summer daytime hours workers can spend outdoors without heat stress has decreased by more than one hour per day, increasing risks of dehydration, cognitive impairment, and workplace accidents.
• Despite high-profile commitments to eliminate deforestation from supply chains, progress is uneven. One-third of companies with the highest exposure to tropical deforestation have made no commitments. Furthermore, investors still hold 40 billion USD in bonds and shares related to forest-risk products, which is more than three times the amount covered by the Global Forest Finance Partnership at COP26.
• To manage non-carbon climate risks, the private sector must move beyond their own supply chains to address deforestation in surrounding areas. Recommended actions include investing in spatial analysis to understand economic impacts, adopting jurisdictional approaches in collaboration with governments, and utilizing disclosure frameworks like the TCFD and TNFD.

APA

Gerow, A., & Seymour, F. (n.d.). Implicaciones para el sector privado de los efectos no relacionados con el carbono de la deforestación tropical. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-06/implicaciones-para-sector-privado.pdf

Chicago

Gerow, Alice, and Frances Seymour. Implicaciones para el sector privado de los efectos no relacionados con el carbono de la deforestación tropical. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-06/implicaciones-para-sector-privado.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gerow |first1=Alice |last2=Seymour |first2=Frances |title=Implicaciones para el sector privado de los efectos no relacionados con el carbono de la deforestación tropical |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-06/implicaciones-para-sector-privado.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gerowndimplicaciones, author = {Gerow, Alice and Seymour, Frances}, title = {{Implicaciones para el sector privado de los efectos no relacionados con el carbono de la deforestación tropical}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-06/implicaciones-para-sector-privado.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }