Rainforests harbor seventy percent of all plant species that help treat cancer. They also contain one-fourth of cancer-curing ingredients found in drugs (Lee and David). Some plants have yet to be discovered; however, they may be lost before ever being found due to the clearing of forests, which is known as deforestation. The world loses forested areas the size of Pennsylvania each year due to current logging methods. There are three main stakeholders fighting for control of rainforests: governments, indigenous groups, and the scientific community (Driscoll and Simone). Governments want the forest for business purposes. They permit loggers to run their businesses as they see fit, leading to eighty percent of all logging in Brazil being unregulated …show more content…
They believe it is necessary to clear space for farming or logging. Supporters of regulated deforestation say that “rainforests are destroyed by nature: flooding, hurricanes, and so on; therefore, the trees should be used before they are wasted” (“The Deforestation Debate”). However, the trees are being used faster than the average rate of nature's destruction (“The Deforestation Debate”). Others argue that it “helps sustain rural communities” (Issitt). Trees are cut for fuel, timber, and farmland. Eighty percent of land cleared is used for subsistence farming and commercial agriculture (“16 Deforestation Facts….”). The companies replant the trees they have cut; nonetheless, it would be better to not cut the trees at all. Their newly planted trees are open to attack by insects and disease because they are not native species. The trees do not last long, and when they die they may not be replaced. Not everyone believes that deforestation does more harm than good, but sixty percent of students at Ontario High School believe regulated businesses should not be allowed to clear rainforests. A few of the opposing students said they would need to research the information first because the topic is not widely discussed (Students at OHS). More research in the area of forest management is …show more content…
Deforestation leads to the reduction of the atmosphere’s quality by interrupting the natural flow of atmospheric gases. Not only do trees collect carbon dioxide, but they also create oxygen. Cut trees release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and no longer produce oxygen, thereby increasing greenhouse gasses. In addition, the soil shifts after the clearing of a forest. The effect of the loosened soil can lead to mudslides that can bury whole villages. The devastation of a village in the Philippines was blamed on the clearing of the forests above it. The soil had become loose enough that rain caused a mass of mud to move onto the now buried village (McLeish 5-6). This was not an isolated incident. Mudslides have also occurred in Southeast Asia, mainly the islands of Indonesia. Without the rainforests to regulate the water cycle, floods, erosion, and a warmer Earth occur. Trees use a process called surface albedo- when trees absorb more heat than bare soil (McLeish 24). The Earth warms when trees do not contain the excess heat, negatively affecting the atmosphere. The climate change effects decrease when clearing of rainforests decrease. Government and locals can help prevent these disastrous
Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxide which is a harmful greenhouse gas . However, since deforestation reduces natural carbon sinks, it disrupts the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air causing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to increase. This poses a serious threat since carbon dioxide traps the sun’s heat and radiated light inside the earth’s atmosphere. So, with the increase in carbon dioxide more heat is trapped and thus adding to the effects of global warming. Among the many places where deforestation takes place, Amazon seems to be one of the most affected ones. More than 20 percent of it is already gone, and much more of it is severely threatened due to deforestation . It is estimated that the Amazon alone is vanishing at a rate of 20,000 square miles a year .
As long as humans have lived in forested areas, they have cut down trees for lumber and/or to clear space for agricultural purposes. However, this practice has resulted in the destruction and near extinction of our national forests. Today, fewer than five percent of our country's original forests remain (Thirteen) and the U.S. Forest Service continues to allow more than 136,000 square miles to be logged each year (Byrant). Even more alarming, is the fact that only twenty percent of the current public forest lands are permanently protected by law, leaving nearly eighty percent to be consumed by chainsaws and bulldozers (Heritage...).
I chose to write about the quote "so it goes" because I think it is an interesting quote. The author puts his marks on the book with this quote. Also billy makes it seem like we should really pay attention to this quote. “So it goes” is said multiple time in Slaughterhouse-Five.
The natural resource of wood is being used at an unsustainable rate, with minimal effort to change societal views on the depletion of this valuable natural resource. Much of the wood we use today comes from old-growth tropical forests, and in many regions it is harvested illegally. Recently in England, it was revealed that the major department store, Marks&Spencers, made much of its garden furniture out of Nyato wood which was logged illegally from Indonesian rainforests. Looking at this problem from a micro-level orientation, we can clearly see how the actions of individuals in both Britain and Indonesia affect one another.
Ending Destruction of the Rainforest As destruction of the rainforest continues, man slowly paves the inevitable path to a clear end. It has been known that the rainforest is an essential provider for the balance of the mother earth and that it acts as a key for life as we know it. Yet, the world still decides to quietly watch the disappearance. In fact, most people realize what exactly is taking place. But, however, instead of trying to aid in the termination of this disaster.
A rainforest is an area of high, mostly evergreen trees with a high amount of rainfall. The biome is the earth’s oldest living ecosystem, being incredibly complex and diverse. The importance of the rainforest, is the huge biodiversity of the place due to the 80 – 90% of species that can be found there, even when it only covers 6% of the Earth’s surface. It is also often called the lungs of the planet, by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen upon which many species depend on. Rainforests also help stabilize the world’s climate and maintain the water cycle by producing rainfall all around the planet. Every year humans are cutting down more and more rainforest all around the globe. The reasons for this deforestation are to have grazing land for cattle, contraction of roads, extraction of energy and minerals and many more. Yet this report will focus on the monoculture of rubber tree plantations on previous rainforest land.
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 critical issues of environmental problems that are occurring today.
There’s an insane amount of medicinal purposes as to why we need the forests. Not even just from plants, there are animals we need in there as well. For example, there’s a snake inside the Amazon whose venom makes you lose blood pressure. Scientists found out which exact chemical makes your blood pressure drop. Once they found it, they knew how to help people that have high blood pressure. The funny thing is that everything that has to do with forest conservation always turns into something with monetary value. In an article read online from “Rainforest.org”, it’s said that, “billions upon billions of dollars have flowed into the world’s economy due to the prescription medication arising from the world’s largess biological ecosystem.” So, if we continue to ruin the world’s forests, the world’s going to run out of medicine to find, and eventually humans will stop getting treated. There’s only one way to face this, and that is through forest conservation.
The Human Impact on Rainforests Human Impact on Rainforest is it a necessity? Rainforest are the beautiful gift of Mother Nature. It consists of the most magnificent species and plants in the world. 4.2% of the world’s animals live in the rainforest. This statistic it self shows how bad it would be to destroy such essential part of the worlds biodiversity.
Rainforests, should we cut them down or not? Probably one of the biggest questions the world has to overcome. Sure, rainforests supply us with a lot of resources and we could surely not live without cutting some of them down, but should we be cutting them down at the rate we are? To be exact, the statistic estimates 1.5 acres of natural rainforests are being destroyed every second. While this practise supplies us with resources like timber for furniture, it also reduces the amount of oxygen supply.
As I explored in this essay, deforestation is caused by the spread of factories, farms and cities, leading to adverse effects such as climate change, habitat loss and soil erosion (Sun et al., 2005). It damages our forests, making them smaller and less healthy. We are losing the homes of animals, changing the way rain and air work. This is not just a current problem – it is something that will affect us and future generations. We must all work together to prevent deforestation.
This is alarming since recent data indicates these enormous forests are land-dwelling carbon absorbers that could help to slow worldwide climate alteration. The United Nations ' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates “eighteen million acres of forests have been destroyed worldwide;” and NASA forecasts “that if current deforestation rates are not reduced, rainforests could become entirely eradicated in a century.” The nations with substantial deforestation are Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Africa (The Democratic Republic of Congo included), and remote areas of Eastern Europe. Indonesia, the country with the greatest deforestation within the last century, has lost approximately forty million acres of indigenous
II.Audience connection/credibility: It is very important for us to understand that trees do so much for our environment and we need to stop destroying the trees because trees provide a home for many creatures, they are the lungs of our world. Trees have medicinal benefits, that are very useful to the human race. Trees are very beneficial to the world and it is unethical to keep destroying the trees.
Deforestation, defined by biologist Charles Southwick as "the destruction of forests; may involve clear-cutting or selective logging" (p. 365), is a predominantly human-driven process that is dramatically altering ecosystems worldwide. "Clear-cutting" involves the indiscriminant removal of every single plant and tree species from within a selected area. The other major process of deforestation, "selective logging," focuses removal efforts on only specific, predetermined tree species within a chosen area. The statistics gathered about human deforestation over time are considerable, and they can be somewhat controversial. Depending on the source and the location selected, the magnitude of deforestation varies. Southwick estimates that, approximately 10,000 years ago, 6.2 billion hectares (23.9 million square miles) of forest existed on earth (p. 117). That figure is equivalent to 45.5% of the earth's total land. He further estimates that, by 1990, this amount had declined 30%, with only 4.3 billion hectares of forest remaining (p. 117). Southwick also acknowledges other estimates that place the total amount of deforestation between 50% and 75% (p. 117). NASA has similar deforestation statistics that confirm these trends. According to their website, 16.5% of the Brazilian Amazon forests have been destroyed. They also note similar magnitudes of deforestation in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam), despite the significantly smaller total area of forest within these countries. These grim figures are somewhat tempered by the NASA finding that, over the past ten years, the deforestation rate has declined from 6,200 square miles per year to 4,800 square miles per year. Though this trend is n...
since the beginning of time. Man has been destroying trees for the use of wood for