Around 30 percent of the Earth’s surface consists of forests however roughly 13 million hectares are deforested every year for agricultural and other purposes (Larry West, n.d.). Deforestation refers to the demolition of forests due natural processes but mainly human activities, which may include mining processes, oil extraction, and more (Larry West, n.d.). Forests in Australia make up around 21.3% of the country with approximately 3.2% being primary forest; in average around 4,226,000 hectares or 2.5% of the forests were deforested between 1990 and 2005 (Mongabay, n.d.). WWW-International’s Living Forests Report: Saving Forests at risk puts Eastern Australia within the 11 places to be held responsible for loss of 80% of forests around the …show more content…
Logging involves felling where a chainsaw cuts a tree four times before it lands on the ground (William Harris, 2008). In bucking, the logger cuts a tree into its cross-section from the bottom, then the logger moves some of the logs across onto a tractor to haul them along an appointed route to the landing area (William Harris, 2008). Finally the logs are sorted, graded, and transported to different places such as pulp mills, veneer producers, and more (William Harris, …show more content…
Plants absorb carbon dioxide, and in exchange supply oxygen, which is required for respiration (HRF, 2014). Plants removal causes accumulation of green house gases that lead to global warming (HRF, 2014). Deforestation is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions by being held responsible for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions (WWF, n.d.). Deforestation causes rise in temperatures but decreases rainfall; the temperature in Australia has risen by 1.0˚C since longer than a century ago (Marie-Luise Blue, n.d.).
The possible effects of global warming are: higher sea levels to trigger ice caps melting, depletion of the ozone layer, greater probabilities of droughts, floods, storms, and makes it easier for diseases to spread (Carbon calculator, n.d.).
Plants and trees use their roots to take up the extra water in the ground and release into the air. Removing plants and trees result in the soil having too much extra water from the rain, which triggers floods. (HRF,
Global warming has been going on for one to two centuries now. It has affected the earth a lot and not only that , it has also affected the air. Global warming has consequences as stated before , and it usually happens with solar and terrestrial radiation. Even though people believe that all of this is caused by humans. Scientists believe that global warming was going to be caused by sickness or in other words by diseases but it turns out that they were wrong. Not everyone believes that global weather is a bad thing but they just haven’t realized how bad it has affected us. As long as global warming is around the temperatures will keep on rising, animals will keep on decreasing, and the atmosphere will keep on trapping heat. That’s what global warming is all about. It’s all about warming up the atmosphere and affecting those around them.
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...).
WPF/World Preservation Foundation, 2010, Deforestation statistics, sponsored by WPF, viewed 3rd November 2013, Available at: http://www.worldpreservationfoundation.org/blog/news/deforestation-statistics/#.UoFtypQY3TV
Of all of the issues that effect the planet Earth from a Global Change standpoint, one of the most visible and highly publicized is the issue of rainforest destruction. The loss of this emerald on the planet's crown will end life as we know it, if something is not done...
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.
Everyone needs to respire in order to live, which includes plants and animals. Trees and plants help to regulate the carbon cycle. When the trees take in the carbon dioxide from the environment, they give back to oxygen. When trees are cut down, there is a break in the carbon cycle, and there is no exchange in both oxygen and carbon dioxide which causes a spike in carbon dioxide levels. When these occur carbon dioxide moves in the atmosphere and stores there as a greenhouse gas. “However, deforestation still remains the second leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, just behind industrial emissions” (Culas). Greenhouse gases disturb the normal regulation of the weather. When greenhouse captures and stores heat problems occur. When the carbon dioxide levels in the greenhouse gases are increased, then the atmospheric conditions becomes unstable, which causes global warming. Global warming is the increase in the temperature of the earth, which is mostly caused by the greenhouse effects. Global warming present itself by affecting the environment by causing drought, floods, change in ecosystem, less fresh water available and other environmental issues. Trees play a big role not only in keeping the soil rich, regulating the water table, providing a stable anchor for soil to lessen soil erosion and providing nutrient rich soil for agriculture but it also helps in the absorption of carbon emission in the atmosphere.
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are issues discussed by scientists all the time. A natural process that keeps earths temperature at a livable rate is called the greenhouse effect. The energy from the sun warms up the earth when the rays from the sun are absorbed by greenhouse gasses. The gasses then become trapped in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide are the most common greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gases cause the radiant heat of the sun to be trapped in the Earths lower atmosphere which causes global warming. If there weren’t any greenhouse gasses, the earth would be really cold due to very little sun rays being absorbed on the earth. Global warming can and will lead to several problems that affect the environment in which we humans live in. These problems can lead to warmer temperatures all around the world, it can endanger animals and the wildlife, and it can lead to widespread flooding from the glaciers melting. Here are a few more future effects that I will discuss in more detail about. Damage to human health, Severe stress on forests, wetlands, and other natural habitats, how fish will be affected. Global warming is a serious problem that will affect our generation when we are older.
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
Of all the effects of global warming, the extreme weather that is taking place all over the world is the most obvious one. Global warming will bring more heat waves, drought, fiercer wildfires and stronger hurricanes. “This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives” (75 yrs NWF). Due to rising temperatures, places everywhere will be affected as we get more extremely hot summer days and lesser winters. In addition, as these rising temperatures shifts the cycle of rain and increases evaporation, there will be longer and drier droughts which in turn can lower the water supply for life everywhere. Wildfires can turn out to be even more catastrophic due to warmer temperatures and drier areas combined with accumulated levels of fuel loads in the forest which has built up as a result of decades of fire suppression activities. Moreover, stronger hurricanes are also an effect of global warming as sea levels are rising and heavier rains are falling near the coasts. Overall, global warming is bringing climates that are changing real fast.
dioxide is trapped in the atmosphere and this is what causes the climate to raise. Deforestation
An environmental effect of global warming is the fact that higher temperatures will lead to
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.
If there is an increase in the rate of global warming it will have serval effects on us humans and animals in fact the whole environment will be effected by it for example rise in the sea level which will cause lots of marine animals to die due to their loss in their food source or increase in the greenhouse gas concentration which will Increase Earth's average temperature, Reduce ice and snow cover which will cause the polar animals to die because of the change in temperature, as well as permafrost, Increase the acidity of the oceans which will make the water ph unsuitable for the marine life.
People have been deforesting the Earth for thousands of years, primarily to clear land for crops or livestock. Although tropical forests are largely confined to developing countries, they aren’t just meeting local or national needs; economic globalization means that the needs and wants of the global population are bearing down on them as well. Direct causes of deforestation are agricultural expansion, wood extraction (e.g., logging or wood harvest for domestic fuel or charcoal), and infrastructure expansion such as road building and urbanization. Rarely is there a single direct cause for deforestation. Most often, multiple processes work simultaneously or sequentially to cause deforestation.
The Centers for Disease Control have been involved in studying global warming's effect on human health. Its affect on the climate can adversely affect humans. Plagues have been attributed to global warming. An increase in temperature can result in a longer life cycle for diseases or the agents spreading them.” Global warming will lead to more precipitation, which enables infectious diseases to be more easily contracted and spread.” (2) Effects of global warming on human health might not be immediately detected.