Is Deforestation Worth It?
One of the most prevalent issues in our world today is the issue of deforestation. Deforestation can be described as “the practice of clearing the natural forests for agriculture, logging, etc.” (Deforestation Statistics). After hearing the definition of deforestation, most people would not find this to be a very significant issue in the world, but after hearing the alarming statistics associated with deforestation, most would change their mind. For example, arguably the most shocking statistic is that deforestation has resulted in 80 percent of Earth’s forest cover being cut down (Deforestation Statistics). Although the lumber harvested from these rainforests across the world serve important purposes, I do not
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To make matters even more severe than they already are, the Sumatran tiger is “critically-endangered,” and this lumber operation was illegal (Mongabay). Is the wood harvested from that forest worth risking eliminating the last of the 450 Sumatran tigers on earth (Mongabay)?
In addition to the harm deforestation inflicts on animals, deforestation is also harmful to society. Many natives, especially in South America, rely tremendously on the rainforest. These tribes live in the forests, and gather all of their resources from them as well. The lives of these natives are turned upside down when they have no choice but to abandon their home, because the rainforest is being destroyed whether they like it or not (Consequences of Deforestation). Tribes are forced to leave everything they know, and move to more inhabited areas that they are extremely unused to. How can someone who has lived his or her entire life making do with the resources that earth provided suddenly learn to be successful in a city, where he or she is required to speak the language and know certain skills? Deforestation ruins countless lives of people living in or near the Amazon (Consequences of Deforestation). In order to put into perspective just how many people are effected in such a way, an article in the Nature Conservancy website states that “more than 1 billion people living in extreme poverty depend on forests for their water, fuel, or
Human activity can negatively impact on the environment in different ways, which can lead to consequences which are not only bad for the environmental area affected, but humans too. Activities such as causing radiation leaks with nuclear meltdowns and dumping waste are just some examples of how humans can worsen their own environment.
The affect of environmental issues occur everyday and in particular deforestation is becoming a highly ranked subject. From animals to the human race, the alacrity of trees that are cut down affects every individual in a variety of ways. Not only do people need to help the planet but they need to help themselves and further generations to come, such as children and grandchildren because these natural resources that are being taken away from society are as well shaping the future. For comprehensible reasons, forests use to make up the world, until man made creatures started to destroy and destruct the most important supply to human kind which are trees. Trees are crucial to every living entity for the reason of providing oxygen to all.
However, forests around the world are under threat from deforestation, jeopardizing these benefits. Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change. This impacts people’s livelihoods and threatens a wide range of plant and animal species. Some 46-58 thousand square miles of forest are lost each year, which is equivalent to 36 football fields every minute.
Deforestation is the destruction of a wide area of forest land into a cleared land that is used for a variety of reasons. The impact on the environment from cutting down, burning and damaging forests is very detrimental and there are severe consequences for the environment and future generations because of deforestation. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization approximately 7.3 million hectares of forests are being destroyed per year in the world (Bradford, 2015). In this essay, I will explore the impact that deforestation on the environment and I will also look at the actions that are being taken to prevent deforestation. There are various reasons why deforestation is occurring despite its negative effects on the environment. Deforestation can cause very serious environmental problems such as climate change, flooding, loss of habitats as well as others.
Another major consequence of deforestation is the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of species losing their homes. Without their habitations, wild animals such as wolves, foxes and possums will be forced to find a new home. But since there are no forests, they will end up in your garden, or on the side of the road. I highly doubt that you’ll want to wipe bloody guts off of your windshields every morning on your way to work. This is very sad and also inhuman. In what world do we kill hundreds of species just so that we can write on paper and do our homework? I mean, of course I know that teaching and learning are essential parts of our lives, but with today’s growing technology, we should certainly be able to come up with a new way to eliminate the use of
Deforestation has lead to terrible living conditions and 38 species have been driven to extinction. John Vidal, author of “The Sumatran Rainforest Will Mostly Disappear Within 20 Years,” writes about the ways logging companies are getting past regulations to take more land and logs away from the forest and natives. Ian Sample, author of “Amazon’s Doomed Species Set to Pay Deforestation’s ‘Extinction Debt,’” on the other hand mostly talks about the affects deforestation has on animals. Vidal has the better argument over Sample because his explanations about its effects on humans and corruption from companies and the government.
What is happening to the Earth? Our home is becoming a barren mass of sorrow. Most people in America are blind to what is going on. Could it be that every individual is just turning a cheek the other way. America is faced with an extremely serious problem, and if it is not acted upon there will be nothing left on Earth. Hopefully it will still be able to thrive after the numerous accounts of human destruction. Deforestation in America is a huge problem with devastating affects to humans. The root causes of this travesty are mainly the ongoing need to increase America's economic growth, and the idea of frontierism. These two aspects of deforestation tie together well. Together they help define the thought process that Americans have
Ninety percent of the earth’s trees between three and four hundred years old have been cut down. The remaining ten percent is all we will ever have (Gallant, 97). The definition of deforestation by the Random House Dictionary of the English Language is "to divest or clear of forests or trees.” Deforestation is one of the most significant issues of our time; considerable measures must be taken to prevent further pillaging of our unique forest resource.
Deforestation is the cutting down of a large area of trees and the destruction of forests by people. Forests are what we call an exhaustible resource, one which can be used up if it is not used carefully. Over the last few decades, deforestation has threatened the rainforests with total extinction. To understand why deforestation is such an important issue, you first have to understand why trees matter. Trees improve in many ways the life of all species, including the human race.
Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. There are many resources that humans and animal needs to survive; some of the most obvious resources come from the forests. Forests make up a large percentage of the globe. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath, determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. The wood from the forests are used everyday form many useful resources. Moreover, thinning the forests increases the amount of available light, nutrients and water for the remaining trees. Deforestation (forest thinning) is one of the most
REDD+ leads to increase in both carbon storage and forest conservation. REDD+ mitigation measure includes REDD, plus conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forest, and enhancement of forest carbon stock.
Forests have covered the earth for millions of years, providing habitat and food for animals and humans. These forests have stabilized different ecosystems and have continued the natural cycle that keeps plants and animals in check. The discovery of fire changed all of this. It was the beginning of deforestation, a process that has continued and increased over the last 200,000 years. Humans are the responsible party for the deforestation that has occurred. Humans discovered that animals could be driven with fire. This led to accelerated forest loss due to uncontrolled burning for hunting use (Miller & Tangley 1991: 28). Agriculture was the next problem
Deforestation is a major global problem with serious consequences to the planet. These consequences have a negative effect on the climate, biodiversity, the atmosphere and threatens the cultural and physical survival of life. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. It has resulted in the reduction of indigenous forests to four-fifths of their pre-agricultural area, so that now indigenous forests cover only 21% of the earth's land surface. The world Resources Institute regards deforestation as one of the worlds most pressing land use problem.
Deforestation is a problem that does not concern many people, but it is an issue that the people of Earth need to deal with. In the past 50 years deforestation has increased a significant amount, but people around the world have been removing the forests since the 1600s. The forests remaining are in danger as the human population goes up, the need for resources will also increase and this will make the deforestation of the last forests come quicker before humans realize it is too late. Unless the people address this threat to the world, it will be too late because this is something that can be fixed, the forests can be rebuilt but it has to start right now before there is nothing people can do. There are many causes for deforestation such as, clearing space for urbanization, making areas available for houses, or harvesting the lumber for goods and other consumer items and all of these have an effect on the world. The consequences of deforestation can affect all aspects of life on Earth, including the water cycle, the soil, and the life quality of species around the world.
Humans have always cleared the forest for our own interests, but in the past, the process was slow and only limited regions were deforested, generally for subsistence agriculture. However, today, humanity is far more efficient at clearing the forest with our advanced technology and machinery and our almost maniacal drive to earn profits in the near term. Ranching Cattle ranches are created in the rainforest for many fast food companies.