Why Are Rainforests Being Destroyed?

“Sooner or later, we will have to recognise that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans" (Vidal, John). This quote was said by the leader of Bolivia, Evo Morales. His words are filled with so much truth, and he speaks of humans relying so heavily on the earth for supplies and habitation while they are really pests killing the planet themselves. Humans are needy and destructive, and one day the the earth will not be able to provide enough resources to satisfy every humans need for constant consumption of those nonrenewable and terribly slow-growing renewable resources. The earth cannot keep providing trees at the

“The paper and lumber industry has had almost a free hand, resulting in near indiscriminate cutting and the replacement of native trees with vast, highly profitable plantations of pine and eucalyptus” (Nash, Nathaniel). Some may argue that there are ways about creating less damage to the environment when logging, but the article, “Why are Rainforests Being Destroyed?” doesn’t agree. “While logging can be carried out in a manner that reduces damage to the environment, most logging in the rainforest is very destructive” (Butler, Rhett). The motive behind cutting down all of those trees is to make a profit, so the damage level is not considered most of the

To do this, they generally raise more than one crop, animal, and tree together, rather than having a large share of each with a single species. Also, when removing trees for farmland, they leave some trees standing and plant their crops among them in order to prevent erosion and provide food for the farm animals (Miller, Christina G). This is just one way that humans are helping, but there are many ways that they are able to help in the prevention of deforestation. Consuming less paper goods, eating less animal products, and not supporting the logging industry are just a few preventions of deforestation. According to Greenpeace USA, “In the United States, laws like the Endangered Species Act, the Wilderness Act, the Lacey Act and the Roadless Rule help protect our forests and stop illegal wood products from entering the U.S. marketplace” (Solutions to Deforestation). These laws and acts have been put into place because more and more people are understanding how serious the effects of deforestation