Deforestation is causing more storms in west Africa, finds 30-year satellite study

By Christopher Taylor, Meteorologist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Douglas Parker, Professor of Meteorology, University of Leeds

We know that forests are crucial to fighting global climate change, but another important and perhaps less appreciated aspect is the way they affect the climate on a much more local scale. Our research shows that deforestation in west Africa has made storms more frequent and thus increased the risk of disastrous flash flooding in the region’s coastal cities.

Much of west Africa was deforested throughout the 20th century, a process driven by agriculture, international trade in goods like cocoa, and the displacement…

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