Between 2000 and 2012, 2.3 million squared kilometers of forest have vanished. Besides, global deforestation is one of the main factors of global warming. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said this phenomenon was “the most fearsome weapon of mass destruction” today. In order to face this threat, Google is teaming up with ecologists and countries like Norway, the United States and the United Kingdom, to set up Global Forest Watch, an observatory fighting against forest disappearance.

Photos credits : Facebook WRI Forests

A global, fun and free database
The website www.globalforestwatch.org provides a real-time monitoring of the condition of parks and forests all around the world, via a playful map. It delimits the protected forests and lists the companies that buy palm oil from legal farms. To achieve such a wide overview, Google used more than 40 years of NASA satellite images. Anyone on earth will be able to consult this website for free, as well as a blog where the company will publish relevant articles about deforestation. Each country also has a dedicated page, providing figures and data about the condition of its forest park.

What do you think of this eco-responsible initiative?

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