Deforestation
Deforestation is the clearing of trees and though it has always happened, it has become a major problem in recent years due to the rapidly increasing rate at which trees are being destroyed.
Deforestation occurs for a variety of reasons regarding need for space or a need for resources from the trees. Almost half the deforestation in the world takes place to clear room for self-sufficient farming; this is mostly in less developed parts of the world. The removal of trees allows crops to be grown to feed local inhabitants of the area. Resources can also by local people for developing their communities by building houses, making fires for heat or cooking and for making tools.
A large portion of deforestation is also for commercial farming- this produces crops for wholesale to retail outlets; this is common in more developed countries. The space may also be used to set up factories or rubber plantations. Other large scale industries rely on deforestation to provide the resources necessary for modern day activity; such resources include palm oil and paper. Logging and need for fuel wood contributes to deforestation and in some cases it occurs illegally. Logging can take place for many reasons involving the use of timber.
Though deforestation takes place all over the world, it is currently a great threat in areas of South
America (but is also a major issue in South Africa and parts of Asia). Of course, it was first a problem in the currently developed parts of the world- such as England. The removal of forests allowed modern towns to be constructed. However, the issue Is becoming more alarming in areas like South
America where deforestation is still happening on a large scale due to the demand from many industries and the extreme growth in world population. South America is also home to some of the world’s greatest rainforests- “the lungs of the earth”- so deforesting such areas could carry more threat than others.
Deforestation has come to light as a real problem for the environment for many reasons. Firstly, it upsets the major environmental cycles. The water cycle is affected by the loss of trees because less water is able to be absorbed by the roots of trees and more reaches the soil which is not sheltered by the trees any longer. This is an issue because it means that areas can become waterlogged and soil can be washed away and minerals can be leeched, leaving infertile land. Furthermore, water is not able to be transpired by trees and so could lead to a lack of rainfall in some areas.
The carbon cycle is also very much affected by deforestation. Trees photosynthesise and use carbon dioxide in this process so without them the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase significantly. This build-up of carbon dioxide could not only upset the carbon cycle but also contribute to global warming as it is a greenhouse gas that prevents heat energy from the sun leaving the earth’s atmosphere. Even small
which tropical forests are being cleared. In contrast, the area of temperate forests in developed countries grew by 0.1 per cent in the 1980s. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has estimated that the annual rates of deforestation in developing countries were at 15.5 million hectares for the period 1980-1990 and 13.7 million hectares for 1990-1995. The total forest area lost during the 15year period was approximately 200 million hectares. The tragedy lies in the fact that…
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Rainforest have been declining rapidly over the last few decades. There are various factors responsible for this decline, resulting in serious impacts on the environment and the economy. Critically discuss the causes of deforestations and solutions to it. Deforestation appears to be a major problem in the world today. The disruption of natural rainforest causes damage to 13 million hectares of forest per year (Open University, 2014). Rainforest is a natural resource and can become exhausted if…
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Kimberley Mauro 1488 Penn. St. Somewhereville, PA 99665 Dear Ms. Mauro: I, today, would like to inform you about deforestation and how we can reduce it. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses such as agriculture, mining, construction, etc. What are the primary causes of deforestation? There are many causes of deforestation. However, there is only one parent cause for the many causes. That parent cause is humans. Humans of the world…
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damaging the forests. The process in which a forest is cut down, burned or damaged is called "deforestation." Global alarm has arisen because of tropical rain forests destruction. Not only are we losing beautiful areas, but the loss also strikes deeper. Extinction of many species and changes in our global climate are effects of deforestation. If the world continues at the current rate of deforestation, the world's rainforests will be gone within 100 years-causing unknown effects to the global climate…
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clearing of trees, better known as the problem of deforestation, intensifies the greenhouse effect (which greatly contributes to global warming), significantly alters the water cycle, heightens the rate of soil erosion (which may eventually lead to soil runoff and floods), and assists in extreme loss of biodiversity (Hynes 179-180). If this treachery persists, life may cease to exist. Although there may be several factors that abet the rate deforestation such as urbanization, logging, mining and damming…
Man’s last chance to save the world I. The use of deforestation has historically involved man and the environment since the dawn of time. During the progression of human civilization, the world has changed dramatically, and the resources that were once bountiful are now being salvaged and preserved. Humans have believed to be deforesting the world since the beginning of the primitive land, feeding off of its natural resources. For example Easter Island, who deforested their own island during…
