Death By Deforestation In The Amazon

Death by Deforestation “Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people” (F.R). Deforestation is caused mainly by human activities, which have increased global warming. In general, deforestation affects the hot and dry areas of the Amazon, but this loss is more than just its regional effect. It is impossible to overstate the impact made by humans destroying the forests. These actions transform forests into vulnerable lands that will be more impacted by climate changes, and therefore representational of the great powers of global environmental change. The impact that man has made and is making continues to be greatly detrimental; many forest have been degraded and cleared; totally fragmented by

In the Amazon, more than half the water in the ecosystem is held by plants and tree roots thus anchoring the soil as without trees, the soil is free to wash or blow away, which leads to problems in the growth of vegetation (TAC, E, Silva M, P. 8). The Institute of Climatology & Bio-geography also remarks that seasonal variations of solar radiation, temperature and rainfall determine the life cycle of vegetation, which in turn modifies the exchanges of energy between the earth surface and the atmosphere thus playing a major role in the seasonal variation of local surfaces (Theoretical and Applied Climatology, P. 9).

Scientists estimate that since 1960 a third of the world’s cultivable land has been lost to deforestation, partially due to an enormous increase of forest clearing to make way for rich harvests like coffee, soybeans, and palm oil (Brazil’s Department of Climatology, P. 2). The planting of trees increases the soil erosion and roots cannot hold on to the land. As a result, the quality and erosion of the soil leads to silt entering lakes, rivers and other water sources, thus decreasing the quality of local water and contributing to poor health of the

This is equivalent to thirty percent of the worldwide total. The biggest percent of the tropical forests in the Amazon Basin is located in Brazil, a region commonly known as Amazonia (Ins. Global Change, Web). About half of Amazonia is made up of upland areas where the original vegetation was tropical rain forest, while another 0.5 million km2 or so consists of transitional forests” (Brazil’s Department of Climatology, P. 3). This information shows that removing trees by taking away the forest in bigger portions will lead to unblocking the sun during the day and holding in the heat at night. This reorganization is the cause of extreme temperature changes harmful to plants and animals. Forest reduction allows larger amounts of greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere and increases the speed and severity of global warming (Brazil’s Department of Climatology, P. 4). We must remember that trees play an important role in the absorption of greenhouse gases, gases that are now fueling global