10. Illegal lumber trade
Annual revenue: $4.9 billion
The demand for natural resources doesn’t stop growing, and neither does the illegal trade. Europe, the USA, Japan and China are the world’s largest buyers of illegal timber. Despite all the advancing technologies, the need for natural resources never ceases. In order to fully grasp the seriousness of the situation, try picturing how much time it will take for the deforested areas to recover. We’re talking decades or more.
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