Forest Fires Environmental Devastation & Human Suffering – The Hidden Cost of Paper Production
The paper / board industry promotes its products on their sustainability and recyclability. There is never any mention of the environmental devastation and human suffering caused by forest fires, these occur every summer when the billions of eucalyptus trees planted to produce the paper / board are dry. The Portuguese locals call the eucalyptus ‘petrol trees’, as once ignited, the fires they produce are virtually impossible to control. What makes matters worse, due to global warming, the number of fires in these man-made monoculture eucalyptus forests are growing year by year. For example, there have been no less than 50 fires raging in Portugal alone so far this year.
The eucalyptus tree is not indigenous to Portugal, it is an invasive species, deliberately introduced and planted by the paper industry for its high eucalyptus oil content. But eucalyptus forests now cover over 10% of Portugal which now has the largest proportionate eucalyptus forest in the World. These forests spread for hundreds of square miles, many surrounding remote villages which each summer are under threat of fires.
The Human Cost of Forest Fires
As recently as last month, 7 more people were killed in Portugal by forest fires, 3 were fire fighters trapped in their vehicle and caught in the flames. These deaths were in addition to 3 earlier this year. In the major fires of 2017, no less than 120 lives were lost, after which legislation was introduced to manage the forests better. However, despite these changes, people are killed every year in these fires, each death and injury is an avoidable personal tragedy. In addition, every year whole villages have to be evacuated due to the smoke and ash from the fires. People have to live with the threat that their homes will one day be engulfed in the flames, as the eucalyptus forest areas continue to grow. The locals we spoke to this year were critical of both those companies that plant the trees and the legislators who, despite the new legislation after the disastrous fires in 2017, fail to enforce ‘barren areas’ to be left around their village to safeguard their homes.
Origins of the Fires
Whilst some fires possibly occur naturally, by far, their biggest source is arson. The burning of ‘brushwood’ to create clearings can inadvertently spread. However, commercial interests (whatever that means) are also blamed, along with locals deliberately burning areas to create space around their properties. According to the local press, 20 people had been arrested for arson by the time we left the area.
The Environmental Cost
Over half a million hectares of Portuguese eucalyptus ‘paper’ forests were consumed by the great fire in 2017. This released an estimated 700,000 tonnes of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. Year to date some 150,000 hectares of eucalyptus forests have been destroyed due to forest fires and over 200,000 tonnes of CO2 are estimated to be released.
A further source of CO2 is the constant flights of helicopters from 3 different countries, dropping billions of gallons of water on the fires in order to try to get them under control. This is in a country where water is precious, and drought is an ever-present problem.
However, fire is not the only environmental problem, according to Professor Pakro Carvalho, a local authority on Portuguese forestry, and I quote, “The problems with eucalyptus plantations extend far beyond their incendiary nature. These eucalyptus forests result in biodiversity loss, soil erosion, and water depletion. They destroy thousands of species and the effluents from the paper factories pollute rivers and streams.” He accuses the paper industry of constant ‘greenwash’ and condemns the high human and environmental costs of using eucalyptus for paper production in these areas.
Summary
There is currently an irreversible trend in the UK by supermarkets, brand owners, and others to replace plastic with paper and board.
The paper / board industry promotes its products on recyclability and sustainability. The public’s perception is undoubtedly influenced by their PR, and many believe that paper / board is infinitely recyclable. It isn’t, the average recycling rate is 3 ½ times whilst plastic PET (for example) is 15-20 times. Supermarkets and brand owners perpetuate these paper / board myths by claiming substituting plastic packaging with paper / board is somehow environmentally positive. They should try and tell that to the residents of Northern Portugal, who year after year experience the deaths, injuries and loss of homes and livelihoods caused by these fires in the eucalyptus forests.
In addition, every year millions of tonnes of CO2 are adding to global warming from eucalyptus forest fires not just in Portugal, but around the world. Millions of gallons of water are wasted, millions of animals, big and small, die a horrible death in these fires, which are getting more intense each year. The paper / board industry knows these facts yet continue to plant eucalyptus for its ‘yield.’
If these fires were an oil rig constantly burning somewhere at sea, they would be worldwide news. As it is they go virtually unnoticed except for those local people to which they can mean life or death. Meanwhile, those brand owners and supermarkets substituting plastic with paper / board should recognise that the paper industry is the 3rd highest consumer of water in the world and the 5th largest consumer of energy. These resources are precious, therefore adding to the growth of the paper / board industry is not sustainable as it adds to the 190 million tonnes of CO2 emissions the industry generates each year. (IEA Report, Sept 2022).
As ever, I welcome your views on any of the issues raised and you would be welcome to join me on LinkedIn for more regular content.
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