Action plan to address the root causes of deforestation & degradation

The problem of deforestation cannot be solved by treating its effects alone. Based on the work i have done so far, it appears that solely protecting forests without addressing the root causes of deforestation is merely a short-term solution.

My hypothesis for preventing deforestation and damaging logging is to focus on identifying and addressing the underlying needs people have which lead to such actions in the first place. This involves identifying the various market demands and offering alternative solutions of the same or improved quality.

To achieve this goal, i start with:

1. identifying market demands that lead to forest degradation or deforestation
2. listing promising solutions

Next action item:

1. listing specific examples of products & services that fall under each solution umbrella

As i continue this work, i welcome contributors, questions, feedback, solutions, and collaboration. When interested, contact me at 108forests@arianaivan.com.

I. High demand for timber

Promising Solutions:

1. Alternative building materials
2. Recycled/repurposed wood products
3. Wood farms
4. Genetically-engineered seeds for fast-growing trees
5. Lab-grown wood:
   • Currently in touch with the scientist who discovered a promising method (opens in a new tab)
   • To do: publish pitch deck & research i did for lab-grown wood
6. Toilet paper alternatives such as bidets
7. Recycled paper for books and other stationeries

II. High demand for meat, dairy & agricultural land

Promising Solutions:

1. Consuming less beef: raising cattle is one of the main reasons for clearing tropical forests; also beef production requires much more land, water, and energy compared to other forms of protein production.
2. Consuming less pigs & chickens: another reason for clearing forested areas is to plant soybeans and corn to feed the animals
3. Lab-grown meat & dairy
4. Plant-based alternatives to meat & dairy
5. Improving palm-oil productions: palm oil is considered an efficient and productive crop, producing more oil per land area than any other equivalent vegetable oil crop. But the current palm-oil practices are considered to be destructive.
6. Food-waste systems & food-sharing services: 30% of the food grown globally goes to waste - source (opens in a new tab). By wasting less, we can potentially feed more people using the same amount of land.
7. Rehabilitating & reusing land: quick research showed that around a quarter of all land globally is now degraded. One of the causes is high usage of highly toxic chemicals, without giving the land a break. This puts pressure on forests, as providers seek out cheap new land areas to exploit.

III. Too much carbon into the atmosphere

Government caps or carbon taxes are promising, if it gets organizations to DECREASE consumption & emissions.

As far as we can tell, the only carbon offsetting that can actually work is direct air capture - giant machines that suck CO2 out of the air and store it back into the ground. However, the tech is still very new, and priced orders of magnitude higher than the popular offsetting platforms, which means that it is currently barely used.

IV. Unstable & corrupt government systems

Based on the lessons learned when buying forests or researching preservation laws, having trustworthy representative governments is essential for preserving forest ecosystems, as well as cultivating a harmonious society.

Promising Solutions:

1. Making voting voter-verifiable & easily accessible

Current problems with voting include doubt in results, low turnout, poor accessibility, exorbitant annual elections budgets, limited forensic and remediation options, and a handful of closed-source corporations having a monopoly on the market.

The solution we've been working on is called Secure Internet Voting (opens in a new tab).

SIV — pronounced like "civilization" — offers citizens the power of personally verifiable voting, nearly instantaneous, private, at a fraction of the cost of current election systems.

Strong cryptography — originally developed to safeguard national secrets, nuclear weapons, and large scale financial assets — is used with Defense in Depth to create a secure election system with no single point of vulnerability. Every step of the process creates a written audit trail, with explicit methods in place to detect and remediate any attempts of attack.

Participating in our democratic process becomes far faster and easier, as we simultaneously gain specific mathematical evidence whether our elections are accurate and the announced results correct.

2. Improving the representative democracy

Currently, many people are unhappy with their limited choices of representation by candidates who may seem inauthentic or without substance. Winner-take-all elections entrench a two party system, leading to extreme polarization. And perhaps worst of all, power corrupts and skeptics wonder if the system is rigged by corporate lobbying and campaign finance.

A promising solution is what some call Liquid Democracy (opens in a new tab), but to be more specific, i'll call it a Digital Representative System.

The core idea is that you have the power to delegate your vote on each specific topic to a person you trust. At any time, you can revoke their power, replace them, or override a particular vote they took on your behalf. It blends the best of 'direct democracy' and 'representative democracy' together.

In a Digital Representative System, when 51% of voters choose the same delegate, 51% of the power flows to that delegate. Their “rival candidates” still get the voting power equivalent of their earned votes. Fair representation.

But there are actually no “candidates” because in a Digital Representative System, there are no elections. Right now, it's too expensive to run elections more frequently than every few years. But in this upgraded system, you can change your delegate from your smartphone anytime. Efficient accountability.

Read more details written by David Ernst via the blog post What is Liquid Democracy? (opens in a new tab) and listen to in-depth information about it via Liquid Future Youtube Channel (opens in a new tab).

V. Many people don't directly experience the mental and physical benefits of forests, lacking a personal connection to forests

Due to the scarcity of forests in urban areas, especially old growth, many people don't have easy access to lush nature within walking distance or a short drive. As a result, few people have the opportunity to experience the emotional benefits of a peaceful walk among trees. This lack of personal connection to forests can lead to a reduced incentive to protect them and a lower level of awareness regarding purchasing and consumption habits.

Promising Solutions:

1. Urban forests such as Golden Gate Park and Lands End in San Francisco
2. Planting a significant amount of trees all around the city, such as in Portland
3. Developing the skill of being present and observant while in a forest can significantly increase the potential health benefits that one can receive from the experience — check out Forest Meditation, a technique i put together based on different actions i took which helped me experience the forest in a mind-blowing way, and ultimately provided great health benefits such as being calm, positive, and eating less.

VI. No easy, reliable access to information about products' origins, effects on forests, animals, and social impacts.

Promising Solutions:

1. A citizen-science app that allows people to track the origins of products (e.g. food & furniture), including the practices involved in growing and harvesting them, and their effects on forests, animals, and people. By using this app, we can make more informed decisions about what we buy and eat. (Not Yet Developed)

Content Status: Research In Progress 🧐