People cut down trees and never replace them. Deforestation is directly related to climate change.
Deadly Effect of Deforestation
By D. S. Mitchell & Michael Leonard Douglas
“Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make land available for other uses”-Wikipedia-“Deforestation causes extinction, changes climate, creates deserts, and displaces indigenous populations”-Wikipedia.
From Then Until Now
Of the over 6 million original square miles of rain forest earth has lost over 4.5 million square miles. This incredible loss is due to human activity and naturally occurring deforestation events. In addition to human activity millions of trees are lost to wildfires and those losses are not effectively replaced. The pressures of constant logging make it impossible to preserve forests within a reasonable time frame. Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s leading producers of palm oil. This fact makes them two of the world’s greatest deforestation culprits.
Deforestation
For a well-balanced relationship of organisms in the ecosystem, there must not be any interference with the natural processes. However, man has entered the picture and his activities are negatively influencing the natural balance. Over the last two decades the rate of deforestation has increased exponentially. The increased demand for timber products and the clearing of rain forests for developing palm oil plantations are two leading drivers of deforestation. Human beings are creating a dramatic imbalance in the eco-system that may be irreversible.
Getting Worse
Current efforts to stop deforestation are failing. It is estimated that up to 18.7 million acres of trees are lost from deforestation annually (IUCN, 2019). Since the 1960’s, we have lost more than 50 % of the forest reserve. With continued destruction there are not enough trees being planted at a fast enough pace to restore the ecological balance. Deforestation is a global phenomenon, but some regions are more effected than others, especially the tropical rain forests. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that we may lose the tropical rain forests within the next 100 years. They are not protected and replenished.
Effects
With close to 32% of the planet covered by forests, increased deforestation is likely to effect every living thing on the planet. Can you imagine a world without trees. It would be a pretty horrific place. Where would we get food, fresh water? What kind of planet would it be without the wildlife we love? The threat is real. This is why efforts to curb deforestation make headlines and it has become a hot topic at conferences and forums held around the world. Citizens are demanding action from world leaders. Presidential candidates are making it the cornerstone of their election campaigns.
How It Happens
The primary cause of deforestation is agriculture. Subsistence farming accounts for 48% of deforestation. Commercial agriculture is responsible for 32%. Logging another 14%. Fuel wood removal 5%. The important issue is that forests are converted from their prior state of natural existence to a ‘economic producing’ status whether it be to farming, mining, ranching or industry. The removal of trees without re-planting is resulting in irreversible habitat damage, biodiversity loss, aridity and disturbance in the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Global Warming
People are cutting down trees but replacing them less and less. Deforestation is believed to be a leading cause in climate change. Global warming is an increasingly hot political topic world-wide. Literally there are daily warnings from scientists forecasting the approaching apocalypse. No matter how you look at it, the effects of deforestation are dire. To put it into perspective, living things must have trees to survive. Not only are trees one of the largest mechanisms for CO2 removal from the atmosphere but forests also serve as habitat to wild animals. Cutting down the trees endangers everything from the smallest insects to the largest predators, including man.
Lost Animal Habitat
Rain forests are critically important. The rain forests provide homes to thousands of unique animal species, some not even discovered, or identified yet. Apart from that, these regions act as one of the leading sources of fresh water in the world. According to Grid Arendal their mission “is to create environmental knowledge that encourages positive change.” With that goal in mind part of Grid Arendal’s mission is to collect statistics on deforestation. Indonesia topped the list of offenders, followed by Malaysia, Brazil, DRC Congo. It seems most parts of Africa and SE Asia fail miserably in their responsibility to protect their tropical rain forests (IUCN, 2019).
Food Loss
It is important to note that in one way or another the world’s great rain forests support every living breathing thing on the planet. The effects of deforestation will result in 1 billion people losing their source of livelihood, particularly in the world’s poorest regions. One way that deforestation causes food insecurity is by exposing the soil to erosion, Barren land is the result, hampering agricultural activity and increasing food insecurity.
Climate Change
An estimated 2.45 billion tonnes of CO2 from carbon gas emission is absorbed annually with the help of the world’s forests. With those kind of numbers, there is actually no good that can come out of forest destruction. Actually, you guarantee increased carbon production if cutting down trees is not curbed. “Deforestation causes carbon dioxide to linger in the atmosphere. As the CO2 grows it creates a layer in the atmosphere that traps radiation from the sun. The radiation converts to heat which causes global warming, which is better known as the greenhouse effect” National Geographic.
Conversion vs Conservation
According to Wikipedia, “The degradation of forest ecosystems has been traced to economic incentives that make forest ‘conversion’ appear more profitable than forest ‘conservation’. There seems to be no appreciation of the forest’s intrinsic value, other than it’s cash value. Appreciation of forests for their own sake is missing. For their beauty, for the sanctuary they give to animals. For the chemical sorcery forests work every day on CO2. This tragic disregard for the inherent value of the rain forests has led to poor forest management, lax laws, and government corruption. Education seems an imperative at this point, while the world is on the tipping point between survival and extinction.
Education
The organization Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) educates and sensitizes people on the need to protect the forest reserve. Such programs, are teaching alternatives and countermeasures to cutting down trees. This organization also has projects in erosion control, forest regeneration, and argo forestry that all help to protect the environment.
What are the Solutions?
Currently, the solution lies with governments, citizens and organic organizations that work with volunteers in trying to restore nature’s forest reserves. Efforts to curb illegal mining and logging continue to make the headlines across nations, with the UN passing sanctions through partnering with various countries. Tanzania has promoted the planting of two million trees over the last 10 years, to replace the diminishing forest reserves. There are glimmers of hope, but they are too few and too meager in results.
Diet
Some believe a major change in humanity’s diet and lifestyle should be aggressively pursued. The underlying goal is to replace beef with plant-based foods. That way, more efforts would be directed towards protecting vegetation and the forests. With the social media age, governments and organizations could encourage or even fund campaigns to encourage the switch to a plant based diet. I have little hope for such a transformation in the culinary desires of humankind. And even if we did carry out such a transformation in the human diet, there is little evidence that it would actually decrease deforestation. After all, you need cleared land to produce crops.
Complex Factors
A multitude of complex factors are confronting those of us who want to save the world. Those factors combined with the pressure of population growth, urbanization and the inequality of wealth present complex worldwide problems. But we must change our attitudes and realize without the rain forests man may cease to exist. At least half of the species, both plant and animal, live in the world’s rain forests.
No Way Back
With the damage already done, some argue that reforestation would not be the ideal solution. Throughout the decades, the global population has increased with the numbers leading to increased carbon production. For example, the number of forest reserves present 50 years ago would still fall short of the carbon gases emission we have now. What of the endangered species killed or threatened by the already done damage? There would be no way back for such animals, other than by cloning and zoo habits living. What may be best is to change the narrative from what has happened, to what can and will happen in the future. Sometimes you can’t go back and fix the past.
Summary
In conclusion, it is vital to protect the forest reserve in order to stop impending food shortages and global warming. One key may be to involve the children. Use creative ads, hashtags and videos that speak to the youth who make up the greatest number of social media users. After all, they are the future leaders and decision makers. We need them to be actively involved in putting an end to deforestation. More needs to be done to educate people on the value of preserving the forest. Deforestation causes land barrenness and increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As a result, a noticeable temperature hike is imminent. There will be a reduction in rain due to reduced humidity. If we cannot replace the trees as fast as we use them, then the consequences, as explained, are calamitous.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/science/deforestation
https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation
IUCN. (2019). Deforestation and Forest Degradation. Retrieved from https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
Nunez, C. (February 2019). ‘Deforestation Explained.’ National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/
