Implicações para o setor privado sobre os efeitos do desmatamento de florestas tropicais para além do carbono

This policy brief explains that tropical deforestation causes global warming and local climate instability through non-carbon biophysical processes (albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols) in addition to carbon emissions. These effects lead to immediate material risks for the private sector, including reduced agricultural yields and decreased labor productivity due to heat stress. The authors argue that current corporate commitments are insufficient and urge companies and investors to adopt jurisdictional approaches and better spatial analysis to mitigate these risks.

• Tropical deforestation contributes significantly more to global warming than carbon emissions alone suggest, with global warming impacts being 50% higher when non-carbon biophysical effects are included.
• Forests influence climate stability through four primary non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo (solar energy reflection), evapotranspiration (moisture release that cools the surface), surface roughness (wind turbulence that increases cooling), and aerosols (particles and chemical compounds that affect cloud color and atmospheric concentrations).
• Deforestation creates regional and local climate risks that directly threaten agricultural productivity and labor. Regionally, it can reduce precipitation across national borders; for example, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon affects rainfall in Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. Locally, it can cause extreme temperature spikes, with some communities experiencing peaks above 7.6°C higher than the average greenhouse effect increase of 1°C.
• Non-carbon biophysical changes lead to measurable economic losses in agriculture. In Brazil, extreme temperatures from nearby deforestation are estimated to have caused a 12% drop in soy field productivity, costing US$ 99 per hectare annually. In Argentina, a 2017 drought potentially linked to Amazon deforestation resulted in crop losses exceeding US$ 1.5 billion and a total economic impact of approximately US$ 4.6 billion.
• Deforestation-induced heat stress reduces labor productivity and increases health risks for rural workers. In Pará, the daily window for outdoor work during summer without heat stress decreased by more than one hour, increasing risks of dehydration, cognitive deficits, and workplace accidents.
• Despite corporate commitments to eliminate deforestation from supply chains (e.g., New York Declaration on Forests), progress is uneven. One-third of companies with the highest exposure to tropical deforestation have made no commitments. Additionally, investors hold US$ 40 billion in bonds and shares related to forest-risk commodities, which is more than three times the value of the Global Forest Finance Pledge from COP26.
• To manage non-carbon risks, the private sector must move beyond managing their own supply chains to addressing deforestation in surrounding areas through jurisdictional approaches and public-private partnerships. Recommended actions include investing in spatial analysis research to better understand the economic impact of biophysical changes and utilizing disclosure frameworks like the TNFD and TCFD.

APA

Gerow, A., & Seymour, F. (n.d.). Implicações para o setor privado sobre os efeitos do desmatamento de florestas tropicais para além do carbono. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/implicacoes-para-o-setor-privado.pdf

Chicago

Gerow, Alice, and Frances Seymour. Implicações para o setor privado sobre os efeitos do desmatamento de florestas tropicais para além do carbono. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/implicacoes-para-o-setor-privado.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gerow |first1=Alice |last2=Seymour |first2=Frances |title=Implicações para o setor privado sobre os efeitos do desmatamento de florestas tropicais para além do carbono |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/implicacoes-para-o-setor-privado.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gerowndimplicaes, author = {Gerow, Alice and Seymour, Frances}, title = {{Implicações para o setor privado sobre os efeitos do desmatamento de florestas tropicais para além do carbono}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/implicacoes-para-o-setor-privado.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }