Since the 1990s: over 300,000 hectares of rainforest in Colombia cleared for coca plantations. Satellite images show the gaps. Where maps show forest, often only fields remain. National parks. Indigenous territories. Primary forest. Cleared.
Where clearing happens
- National Parks
The Serranía de Chiribiquete, UNESCO World Heritage site. Satellite images show new clearings every year.
- Indigenous Territories
Resguardos of the Nukak, the Ticuna. Land that belongs to them - until the clearing crews arrive.
- Primary Forest
Forest that was never cut. 500-year-old trees. For fields that yield crops for three years.
The chemistry after
Processing coca into cocaine requires massive amounts of chemicals. Per kilo of pasta base:
- Gasoline - 200 liters per kilo of pasta base
- Sulfuric acid - for precipitation
- Ammonia - for neutralization
- Acetone, hydrochloric acid - for the final product
Chemical waste is dumped into rivers. Documented cases: dead river sections without fish or crabs. Drinking water sources poisoned. Local populations often have no alternatives.
The CO2 footprint of one gram
Four square meters of rainforest cleared. Primary forest stores 200-300 tons of CO2 per hectare - irreversibly released.
- Clearing: CO2 sink becomes CO2 source
- Processing with fossil fuels
- Transport: 9,000 km to Berlin, hidden in containers, boats, planes
- Every stopover requires logistics, vehicles, energy
A study by Universidad de los Andes estimates: 4 square meters of rainforest per gram of cocaine. The calculation doesn't end with climate. It just begins there.