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The effects of deforestation on earth
The Impact of Deforestation on the Environment
The effects of deforestation on earth
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PURCHASING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
Overfishing and deforestation are both major global issues that have contributed to the destruction of our planet. The two industries, fishing and forestry, are large providers of Canada’s economy. However, it’s been getting out of hand and these industries have been abused unsustainably.
Deforestation is responsible for a handful of environmental issues. In fact, 21.4% of the world’s forests were degraded within the course of 13 years in Canada. (Tencer, D. “Canada The World Leader In Deforestation”) One method called ‘clearcutting’ is the most responsible for this. Clearcutting is the process of completely clearing/taking out all the trees in a given area. (Speis, A. “Forestry” Managing Canada’s Resources
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Once an area is stripped of its trees, the species that live there are basically homeless. Many animals use trees as not only a home, but also a food supply. However, that’s only if those animals can live in such an environment. With only some specific animals now living in that area, the biodiversity of that area has decreased. In addition to the lack of biodiversity, there are also higher levels of greenhouse gases which leads to global warming. Since all these trees are getting cut all at once, these big machines are needed to do so. The machinery like any other vehicle will produce pollution that enters our atmosphere. But how can we prevent the rapid rate of trees being cut down? As global citizens, we can use GOOS paper and recycle our paper products that are no longer in use. Heading out and planting trees to close that large number of cut down trees would be a good idea as well. (Savedge, J. “5 Ways to Stop Deforestation”) Purchasing recycled products …show more content…
Over the years, Canada has been created more and more pollution. Yes, the obvious answer would be because of our growing population. But it’s also due to the fact that we’ve become more and more dependant on vehicles. Air pollution specifically in Canada has gotten to a certain point where it’s now considered dangerous. Canada’s air pollution is accountable for an estimate of about 21 000 premature deaths and 620 000 doctor visits in a single year. (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/air-quality/the-air-we-breathe/) Decreasing the amount of air pollution we create is very doable. We can limit our driving time by carpooling with others, walking to closer places, biking, or by using public transit. Purchasing energy efficient devices and alliances will certainly keep the amount of air pollution down too. Examples would be fluorescent light bulbs, efficient dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and many more. On the other hand, air pollution isn’t the only pollution we’re responsible for. Littering and water pollution are also considered serious issues too. There are three different types of pollution that ends up in our waters. Physical, biological, and chemical pollution all affect our waters negatively. Physical pollution would actually just be litter/garbage in the water. Biological pollution occurs when bacteria and viruses enter our bodies of water
The main reason deforestation happens, is because of farming. They need to clear out land in order to plant crops and vegetables. Another loss from deforestation is that many animals lose their habitat. The loss of animals habitats will lead to migration, or possibly even extinction. And when this happens this will ruin the food chains which will affect even more animals.
Pollution in Canada is not as bad as some other countries around the world, but it is becoming a more pressing issue day by day. Depending on where you live in Canada, you might not see the effects of pollution as much, however pollution is all around us. From the pollution coming from our cars to the chemical valley in Sarnia, pollution is everywhere. The three main areas of pollution in Canada are in the air, water and soil. When we think of air pollution, we think of the refineries in our cities and the exhaust coming from our cars mostly.
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...).
The worst of which is the loss of habitat for millions of species. British Columbia is the home of 1,900 species that are at risk due to the loss of their habitat. “A staggering 87 per cent these don't receive any protection under provincial or federal laws” (Eco-Justice). One thing is certain if we let deforestation continue countless species will be lost forever. Not only does deforestation cause animal to become threatened from the loss of their habitat, but it also causes plants and soil to die. In forests the trees are canopies to protect plants and soil, without the canopy’s plants will start to die and soil will start drying out too quickly. Trees are also a necessary anchor for soil, the roots of the trees keep the soil in place. Without the roots to keep soil in place it can be washed away and this can create vegetation problems. With the soil eroding that can cause silt to enter the lakes, rivers and streams and pollute the water which can lead to poor health for the population. The trees in the forest also absorb rainfall and produce water vapor that is released into the atmosphere. This makes them an important part of the water cycle that without the trees would be disturbed. Deforestation is also a major cause of climate change. “Conversion of forests to non-forest land use rapidly releases stored carbon as carbon dioxide impacting the atmosphere and climate for centuries” (Parfitt,11). Trees absorb many greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. With fewer trees absorbing greenhouse gases more will enter the atmosphere and speed up global warming. The trees absorb a large amount of carbon as well. When all of that carbon that the trees have stored is released into the environment it can change the climate. In B.C climate change has caused the sea level to rise and it cause glaciers to melt. Scientist have figured out that by 2100 B.C will lose 70% of its
“The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Scaling to 46 years, human have been here 4 hours, the industrial revolution began 1 minute ago, and in that time, we’ve destroyed more than half the world’s forests.” - Unknown. One major environmental problem in our world is deforestation - what is that, you ask? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, deforestation is the action or process of clearing of forests. Some consequences of this include a large contribution to global warming and climate change (about 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year), loss of biodiversity especially in tropical rainforests, and the extinction of many known or yet to be discovered species. But, through some Debt-for-Nature Swaps, leaving forests
On average millions of hectares of forests are destroyed each year resulting in severe consequences that will affect not only our lifestyle, but also all the animals with which we share our planet. Many species of animals and plants will become extinct and if we continue with the destruction of our forests, earth will be unable to sustain life.
...o enforce programs that used recycling, the need for disposable products would be diminished. When I started this argument project my feeling were leaning more toward the side of non deforestation. But after doing lots of research on the topic of deforestation and forest thinning, I have found that my opinion has changed. I still don’t feel strongly about trees being cut down. But there is logical reasoning behind almost every issue. Weather it is cutting down damaged trees or trimming them because of fire danger, the reasons will help the human economy in the end. But I think that the government should be more aware of the areas that they are clearing. So that tribes are not lost, and communities are not affected. I also think that they should only cut down the amount of lumber that is desperately needed. Therefore, eliminating how many forests are destroyed.
In Indonesia, the illegal logging trade is as profitable as ever, and as is often the case in many countries that have a globally desirable, yet illegal resource, it is run by an organized crime ring. There exist in certain areas of rainforest in Indonesia timber barons who employ what are commonly referred to as logging gangsters. The victims in this social problem are not only the rare species that inhabit the rainforests, such as the Sumatran Tiger and Orangutan, but also those people whose wish to do something to stop this depletion. Environmental activists and Journalists attempting to document or protest the atrocities are often killed or severely beaten by the criminals. Like all illegal trafficking, the illegal rainforest wood trade exists only because there is an outside force demanding it. In this case, the force is that of high-income countries. Had the British people been aware of the fact that by buying Marks&Spencers garden furniture, they were in fact supporting rainforest destruction and violent organized crime, they probably wouldn't buy it. However, ignorance is not an excuse. In a world where wood is becoming less abundant, we need to be aware of the environmental and societal issues surrounding our product choices.
Forests plays many essential and necessary roles in sustaining our world. Humans have greatly benefited for what the trees have to offer. It allows for the environment, economy and humanity to advance. Trees are the driving forces to over 4 million employments in Canada. Forestry industries in Canada has an outstanding trade surplus, helps purify our atmospheres, and provides homes to millions of species.
General Information: First off, deforestation is the clearing of forests or areas with trees to be converted into something else after. There are a few different ways forests are cleared. Clear cutting is simply removing everything in sight. Patch cutting is the removal of trees in specified patches. Strip cutting is removing trees in selected strips. The most environmentally friendly method is known as selective cutting. This is the removal of only selected trees, leaving the others un-harmed. The technique used most during deforestation is the slash and burn technique. This uses the basic cutting method of clear cutting, but afterwards everything that remains is burned to ash.
Though deforestation has increased at an alarming rate throughout the past fifty years, deforestation has been performed during the course of history. According to the World Resources Institute, a majority of the world’s enduring naturally occurring forests are found in Alaska, Canada, Russia and the Northwestern Amazon. Research has demonstrated forests are more likely to be destroyed and repurposed where economic revenues tied to agriculture and pasture are prominent, typically attributed to advantageous weather conditions, or lower expenses of demolishing the forest and delivering merchandises to the global
centuries. Today with an increasing population the amount of wood available has declined seriously in recent decades. People have been harvesting wood to cultivate land, burn, and for the use of raw materials for industry (Urquhart 2014). The estimated amount of deforestation taking place is twenty million hectares per year (Urquhart 2014). Climate change and global warming are just a few of the problems associated with the degradation of our forests.
middle of paper ... ... resources, and improved understanding of environmental implications of harvesting and trade of forest products. The UN Commission on Sustainable Development is another important and effective step towards the rectification of Deforestation. Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) play an important, but in some cases, inappropriate role in rectifying the problem. NGO’s like Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund are two such NGO’s.
Pollutants are the key elements of pollution, which are generally waste materials of dissimilar forms. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance of the environment. With innovation and development in our lives pollution has reached its peaks giving rise to global warming and human illness. When raw materials, water, energy and other resources are utilized more efficiently, when fewer harmful substances are substituted for hazardous ones, and when lethal substances are eliminated from the production process. Water pollution is also a major problem in the world because almost 60% of it is fish.
To obtain and transport has to be quick, easy and the cost has to be minimal. To make all these possible roads are being built through forests. These causes a great deal of damage to the forests because more trees have to be removed again to mine this merchandise. Brazil is once again a prime. example of forest destruction in the United States.