Fighting for Forests
Deforestation is the large-scale removal of trees in the forests. Trees are usually removed to make room for urban development, roads, or even for agriculture. Though not all deforestation is done intentionally, some is done unintentionally by wildfires. Deforestation has had serious effects even though forests still make up 30 percent of Earth’s surface. It is estimated by “The World Wildlife” that we lose about 18.7 million acres of trees every year.We must plant trees and reduce Deforestation to help our climate and increase oxygen. I plan to show you the negative effects deforestation has on our planet, including extreme effects on climate change, loss of habitat for animals and many negative factors for the people indigenous to the forests. I’d also like to point out some possible solutions to this issue and how we should be going about solving the problem of Deforestation.
Deforestation is a major issue that has been negatively affecting our planet for a long time. According to Scientific America, deforestation is accountable for more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than all the world’s cars and trucks on roads. Scientific America states that according to the World Carfree Network, cars and trucks are responsible for 14 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. While deforestation according to most analysts alone accounts for upwards of 15 percent. Logging is so bad because when a tree is cut down and then cleared out of a forest the carbon that the tree was storing inside of it and even in the soil is then released. While on a small scale it goes by unknown but on the scale that trees are currently being cut down to establish new developments it causes a major reaction. This evidence demonstrates that deforestation is a serious issue that we need to start addressing before it is too late. By fighting deforestation it has been identified that by having a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded lands by 2020 and twice as much by 2030 that it would be a sixth of the carbon emissions needed to close the emissions gap. This shows that what is necessary is a global effort to start solving this problem and stop fueling it. Though, in order to start a fight to stop deforestation there must be an incentive to encourage help. This is because the people that live near forests such as the Amazon rain forests, while they live near this forest profit is the factor that drives them. This is because it costs to conserve forest and on the flip side it pays to sell wood charcoal and natural oils and many more things that come out of deforestation.
Deforestation has not only affected climate change and the people of areas where forests are but it has also affected the animals that call the forest home. This is because to those animals that call forests home once trees are cut down and cleared out to make new developments. The animals are left without a home, a place to breed and a source of food, which overall makes it harder for animals to survive as stated by greentumble. Similarly to this by cutting down forests this also leaves animals more vulnerable to predators and poachers and even weather that was not experienced before due to protection made by the forest which leads to some species of animals to go extinct or become near to going extinct. This evidence shows that not only are we affected by this issue but also the wildlife is. It also shows that this is a very selfish act on us to put the ability to make a profit over the wellbeing of our wildlife. Similarly to this by cutting down forests this also leaves animals more vulnerable to predators and poachers.
Not everyone is against deforestation and this is because deforestation also has pros. The future of Working a Leadership and Career Blog, that has been recognized nationally by many publications, states that a benefit that comes out of deforestation is that it gives us the products that we use on a daily basis. This includes paper, furniture, and materials used to build your home and cocoa. Also another benefit that comes from deforestation is that by cutting down forests we create more room to build neighborhoods and areas for people to live which is necessary for the growing population of the earth (20 advantages of disadvantages of Deforestation). Another thing that comes out of deforestation would be that Social safety net programs receive funding through deforestation efforts. This means that when a company makes a profit from deforestation, then the local government taxes them and it funds local government activities. Although there are some positives that come out of deforestation, the negatives far outweigh the benefits. This is because although we all live off of some byproducts that come from deforestation, we cannot use these resources carelessly; we need to manage the amount of trees we cut down so that we can try and limit our effect on our planet. Although deforestation helps many people by giving them an area to live, it is not a justifiable reason as to why we should continue this practice to the extent that we do because even though it may help people, it will ultimately hurt them because of many factors like soil erosion and possible flooding in the area where they now live. Also, while it gives them a place to live, it also takes away shelter for animals. Instead of cutting down forests, we could be making better use of the space we already have. Even though someone might say that deforestation helps to discover new species, it also hurts those potential new species by making it harder for them to survive and search for for food and protection. Taking all the evidence in consideration, an overall viewpoint shows that there is less of an advantage than disadvantages to deforestation because the benefits that come are short-term and limited.
Deforestation is a major issue that we all are affected by regardless of who you are, and there are ways that we can fight against deforestation and help our planet. Solutions that are needed to stop deforestation as stated by Greenpeace, an organization whose mission is to “use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future,” include standing with the indigenous people that call forests home. Greenpeace says that “forests around the world have been home to Indigenous Peoples for tens of thousands of years. Evidence shows that when Indigenous Peoples’ rights to traditional lands and self-determination are respected, forests stay standing.” This shows that if we stand with those indigenous to the forest that we may be able to stop or at least slow down the rate at which forests are being cut down. Also another possible solution stated by Greenpeace is to promote sustainable choices and this falls under avoiding the use of one time packaging, eating sustainable food, and making other choices that will be positive on forests and the environment. By making these choices, it can have a great impact on our planet and society.
This has shown that we all play a part in conserving our world and that if we each take a few steps towards making more environmentally-friendly choices, we can start a culture that is based around protecting and conserving our planet rather than one that is based around taking all that we can out of it. Also by doing so we will see many benefits out of it such as seeing animal populations increase, positive effects on the climate, and allowing those indigenous to the forest to live in the way the want. Although not everyone can plant a million trees, you can start by making the right choices and begin to make choices that are environmentally-friendly.
Works Cited
“Deforestation and Its Extreme Effect on Global Warming.” Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2012, www.scientificamerican.com/article/deforestation-and-global-warming/.
“Effects of Deforestation: The Pachamama Alliance.” Pachamama Alliance, www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation.
“Solutions to Deforestation.” Greenpeace USA, www.greenpeace.org/usa/forests/solutions-to-deforestation/.
“20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Deforestation.” FutureofWorking.com, 22 July 2019, futureofworking.com/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-deforestation/.
Derick's Blog 