Clearing is bad for the climate and for drought.
As well as destroying over 300,000 hectares of woodlands in one year (think 300,000 pitches at Lang Park), this also released more than 35.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, stored in the trees that were knocked down. At a more local level, scientific research indicates the removal of woodlands can reduce local rainfall and add to drought. At a time when we should be using trees as a carbon sink, mass clearing is adding to the problem of climate change, and potentially making droughts worse.