Deforestation is a bigger problem than you may presume it to be. How could cutting down a few trees hurt? The problem includes more than just a few trees. This essay will give you a more in depth understanding of the topic, discuss a few of the impacts the problem has, and provide you with some solutions including ways you can help.
Before looking into the impacts and solutions of deforestation, having a larger knowledge span of the topic will help to further understand the issue. Deforestation most commonly occurs in tropical areas (1) and is less common in areas such as Canada (2). A lot of deforestation is caused by the action of illegally cutting down or burning trees but more than half is caused by farming, grazing of livestock, mining and drilling (4). A lot of products such as palm oil products, soy products, wood products, etc rely on deforestation to be produced (5). It is estimated that nearly 2400 trees are cut down each minute (1) and our earth has lost approximately 47000 square miles of forest since 2019 alone (5).
Now that the seriousness of deforestation has been covered, not all of it is bad. The majority of deforestation impacts are negative, there are a few positive traits to this topic for example the products we get out of it (6) as listed above. Moving on to the negative side of things, there are many very serious impacts deforestation has on our world. Even though we have other plants, most of our oxygen is produced by trees, and carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees (5). This is already leading to more serious issues such as climate change (4) and greenhouse gas emissions (5). Deforestation can also lead to other issues like flooding and desertification (7). It is very possible that if deforestation continues at the same rate it is going, all of the world’s forests could be gone in 100 years or less (4).
Moving on to the final topic of deforestation which is the few solutions to it and how you can help. A very practical solution to this is to ban clear cutting forests and enforce government regulations (8). There are many ways you can help to slow down deforestation. By cutting down the amount of deforestation prone products you use, you could potentially be saving a tree or even multiple trees (8). This can include not using paper plates or simple everyday things such as writing on boths sides of a piece of paper (8). Using old products instead of buying new ones or using recycled products can also contribute to helping (9) as well as cutting down on meat and dairy products (9). There are also multiple forest friendly companies that you can purchase from and organizations against deforestation as well as fundraisers (10).
To conclude, deforestation is way more than just a few trees being cut down and has become way more of an issue in the past century. By taking the time to understand what is really happening, figuring out what the issue is and how it impacts humans, animals, and the planet earth that we all call home, we can all chip in a bit to help using the solutions listed in the previous paragraph and more. Deforestation does not include just a few trees, it is a third of our world’s forests being destroyed and we should not be so careless about our incredible gift, the earth.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation
- https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/wildland-fires-insects-disturbances/deforestation-canada-key-myths-and-facts/13419
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1985.tb00079.x?needAccess=true
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/deforestation
- https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.11.012
- https://www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation#:~:text=The%20loss%20of%20trees%20and,of%20problems%20for%20indigenous%20people.
- https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-deforestation.php
- https://doi.org/10.1353/lag.2011.0024
- https://www.canadian-forests.com/non-governmentals.html
I feel like you did a really good job with this project because you went deeper than just climate change, you showed the effects of one of the reasons it’s caused you did an amazing job on this project!
Hey Kaitlyn,
this was a very interesting blog post to read. I’m very passionate about the environment and how we’re affecting it. After reading your blog post, I learned a lot more about deforestation and its negative effects. Your blog post was informative, well researched, and interesting to read. I especially agreed with you when you stated that deforestation is more than just a few trees getting cut down. It’s a real issue.
Good luck with your future blog posts, and I look forward to seeing more from you!
Hi Kaitlyn,
I enjoyed reading your essay because it was very clear and you organised well the information. Deforestation is a topic that really interests me because I’m from Brazil, and the deforestation that is going on in the Amazon rain-forest is huge. On top of the environmental issues that it is causing, the impact on indigenous communities there is very frustrating.
Here a BBC article on it if you are interested: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56847952
Sofia B.
Hi Kaitlyn,
I loved your essay, especially your opening. I think the way you started by relating to your readers and stating what you were going to be talking about was a great choice as it is captivating and informs your audience. As for the rest of your essay I think it was also done well. One thing you could perhaps improve on is the transitions between paragraphs and making it a bit smoother, however other than that it was great. Very interesting and informative, I learned a lot.
Chantal M.