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Deforestation and its effects on the environment
Global warming and its effects on the environment
Can deforestation positively impact our planet
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Recommended: Deforestation and its effects on the environment
More than one hundred and fifty acres of rainforest are lost every minute of every day. Cattle ranches make up 80 percent of destroyed rainforest land. Runoff from these ranches contaiminates rainforest rivers, which further harms the already fragile ecosystem. This is just a small glimpse of what would happen if all the rainforest was removed. The well being of the earth in the present and the future makes it essential that we as humans protect the Amazon rainforest.
The amount of oxygen that they produce and the amount of carbon dioxide that is remove from the atmosphere are two key ways rainforest trees are helpful to the environment. Trees in the rainforest help to keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to help reduce global warming. Deforestation alone creates 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. If people who cut down the rainforest trees burn large amounts of them, they release carbon dioxide into the air, further polluting the air. A group of students from the University of Maryland partnered with Google to create an interactive map of deforestation to help people become aware of the problem that it has become. Because of their large impacts on the ecosystem, rainforest trees are a key group
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The sheer amount of trees helps keep large amounts of earth in place. A science team from Yale University estimated that there are approximately 3.041 trillion trees on Planet Earth. Trees also help regulate the climate, which keeps temperatures in check. If people cut down the trees to make farms and buildings, which could be beneficial for the population in the short run, the ground would erode seriously. This would end up causing larger problems in the long run, like blocking lowland rivers and bringing dryness to upland rivers. Rainforest trees are crucial to the endurance of the local people as well as the global
The dense levels of vegetation absorb tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and help slow down the rate of climate change that the planet is experiencing. This process also produces high levels of oxygen that help to support life around the world. Coupled with the high levels of rainfall that benefit the water cycle, the rainforests are an integral part of the many systems that exist. These forests contain a wide variety of plants that a source of different chemicals that are used to create medicines. The degradation of these areas could potentially lead to the loss of medicines that could cure some of the deadliest diseases and illnesses that
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 .
This rainforest is also a great ‘carbon sink’. It has many photosynthesis plants and this allows the control of carbon dioxide (CO2). The plants take in the CO2 from the atmosphere and return oxygen (O2). b) Logging has impacted this ecosystem. There are trees that are hundreds of years old and their timber is being pushed to be sold for high prices.
What would happen if one day the Amazon rainforest disappeared? The Amazon rainforest will disappear is not an assumption. It absolutely will be happen if people keep on deforesting the Amazon rainforest for many different demands. Huge amounts of area in Amazon were deforested because of agricultural pursuits. Also, the deforestation rate has increased in other ways, such as obtain more land for living and excessive uses of wood. Therefore, a large amount of trees were cut down and led to forest destruction. People have done these kinds of activities for many years and these deforestation activities have brought a lot of permanent and long term issues. Although the society has started to consider the problem of deforestation, it is not easy to solve the issues completely. The land desertification can be a huge area and it is almost cannot be able to control. In addition, it is not only threatening the people and animals in the Amazon, the world is also threatened by deforestation. Thus, deforestation is one of the biggest problems in the world that people have to consider because it costs three main long term effects: land desertification, species extinction and climate transformation.
“In the time you can read this sentence, eight acres of tropical rain forest will have been bulldozed and burned out of existence” (Bloyd 49). However, this destruction has been neglected and overlooked for years. Many people do not understand the long-term consequences of losing the earth’s rain forests. The rain forests have provided people with many natural resources and medicines. The benefits that rain forests provide to people will be destroyed if the depletion continues to be disregarded.
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.
The rain forest also effects all the people of the world by holding the carbon dioxide. As you know, the trees in the rain forest produce oxygen but the lack of this is not really the big problem. What is a major issue is that when the rain forest is cut down, the carbon dioxide is no longer being held and is now sent into the atmosphere adding to the "greenhouse effect." Having already started this effect by the huge factories and such in our nation, the destruction of the rain forest is just adding to it (Heinz/Wirth 1). Also, in 1995 when 2 million square miles of rainforiest were cut down, the covered enough distance to travel from the rocky mountains to Rhode Island (Margolis 52)This research seems to indicate that if more and more rainforest s cut down the atmosphere will be more and more polluted adding to the environmental problems already faced by the earth.
In South America lies the largest and most wondrous rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest. This 1.4 billion acre forest represents over half of the planets remaining rainforests, and comprises the largest and most bio-diverse tract of rainforest in the world. Ten percent of all known species on the planet are found in this rain forest, most of which have yet to be discovered. For the past century, the Amazon has been gradually decreasing in size due to agricultural expansion, ranching, infrastructure projects, energy exploration and illegal logging. At its current state, the Amazon is losing land equal to the size of the state of Delaware every year. The destruction of this forest releases 340 million tons of carbon per year according to the World Wildlife Foundation, or WWF, which in turn cause climate changes everywhere around the world. Undiscovered species can hold the key to curing a plethora of diseases, but if those species become extinct those keys are lost forever. If nothing is done to prevent this, the world’s treasure trove of bio-diversity will cease to exist, creating irreversible damage to not only the South American people but also the rest of the world.
If that area is gone then the native animals will go somewhere else messing up the ecosystem and causing hunters to lose precious food. Everything in the rainforest is depended of by the humans and yet we are the ones who are destroying it also. We need the wood but we don’t need an entire forest. I can’t stress this enough. If we are going to destroy one of our precious resources we also need to restore them, but we just can’t seem to do that.
Nevertheless there are still huge advantages of deforestation. But does this mean 2.47 acres of rainforest should be destroyed every single second? This mean every second of the day size of two football field is lost forever. Rainforests are the most productive and most complex ecosystems on Earth. Amazon rainforest alone produces 20% of the world’s oxygen.
Problem overview At the present time, one of the key areas which are deteriorating from continuous deforestation acts would be Amazon rainforest. Amazon is the largest, covering "nearly three million square miles, an area nearly as large as the entire United States. It spans nine South American countries from Brazil in the east to Peru in the west. (Mitchell, 37). Amazon dwellings a significant amount of planet’s animal world and vegetation.
Simply speaking, rainforests are basically the foundation of the earth. The most important role that rainforests play is ‘the lungs of the earth’. This is extremely vital to the earth’s survival as the trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide which they use to help grow and let out oxygen which we need to live. This system is known as the carbon-oxygen cycle and with numbers of rainforests declining, it is highly threatened. The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, alone is known to produce half of the world’s oxygen. A break down in the carbon-oxygen cycle means that we will not only have less oxygen, but an increase in carbon dioxide which eventually leads to global warming. This occurs as carbon dioxide traps heat which actually keeps the earth warm, with the right amount of carbon dioxide that is. This is called the greenhouse effect and occurs naturally however due to decreasing number of trees, there is more carbon dioxide than needed which traps extra heat making the earth hotter than needed, this is known as global warming which also causes a rise in sea level.
But they can become carbon sources when they are cut or burned. Tropical forests hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon and deforestation represents around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. These GHG emissions lead to rise in temperatures, weather changes, water changes and increase the chance of extreme weather events. In Sumatra, for example rainforests on deep peat lands are being cleared and converted to plantations, leading to the high GHG emissions in Indonesia. These climate changes can affect forest creatures due to loss of food and water, while some can adapt species losses can occur
The Disappearing Rainforests Conserving the rainforest is a global issue of great importance. Tropical rainforests provide a habitat for animals, a unique ecosystem for vegetation, and an abundance of resources for humans, yet they are being destroyed at an astonishing rate. Experts estimate that if these endangered territories continue to be consumed in this manner, no more will be standing in forty years (Rainforest). Examining the social, environmental, and economic costs of the continued destruction of the Earth's tropical rainforests will prove that deforestation for short-term profit is ultimately not viable.
Trees are one of the most important parts of the biosphere. They provide oxygen, which is one of the largest producers of life. Humans live and strive off of oxygen every second of their lives. Not just humans need oxygen to survive and thrive on Earth, but animals, and other creatures on the planet do as well. Trees are a huge part of all life and if they were gone, there would consequently be no form of life. Not only do trees create all forms of life, but they create beautiful surroundings for an area and create a comfortable and shady environment for all surrounding life. Even though trees seem to be everywhere you look, the planet is losing billions upon billions of them a year. Anywhere from three billion to six billion trees are lost every year, ("How Many Trees Are Cut Down Every Year? Rainforest Action Network Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014”). With this fact in thought, it shows that planting one tree can create a bigger difference than you realize.