Introduction To Deforestation

Deforestation is quickly becoming one of the biggest environmental problems in the world. Deforestation is often done by humans for land development, roads and railroads, and other economic reasons. Around eighteen million acres of forest is lost each year, causing serious repercussions. We should reduce tropical deforestation because it causes the extinction of species, soil erosion, and climate change. One of the leading causes of extinction is deforestation. Rainforests are homes to many species of animals that thrive in the humid environments. When these rainforests are destroyed, there can be a substantial decrease in wildlife. Many animals are not able to thrive in a secondary habitat and have no place to go when their homes are demolished.

Trees play a huge role in protecting the environment. They take in carbon dioxide and prevent it from filling the atmosphere. Unfortunately, due to the growing number of carbon-emitting inventions, the trees are becoming overwhelmed. This means we should be planting more trees in order to pick up the slack. However, that is the opposite of what we are currently doing. Thousands of trees are being cut down every day, causing carbon dioxide to flood the atmosphere. The effect of this is that “more of the sun's radiation is being reflected back to earth, and the average temperature rises” (N). Climate change can cause a number of extreme weather events. If the sea-level continues rising due to climate change, thousands of cities will be at risk for flooding and hurricanes. There has also been an increase in heat waves and wildfires. Heat waves are becoming increasingly more dangerous and “can lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and aggravated existing medical conditions” (ucs). Climate change has the potential to ruin our planet, and deforestation is putting us one step closer to that harsh reality.

Some would argue that our current rate of deforestation is acceptable due to the fact that many companies follow the 2:1 rule. For every tree that they cut down, companies plant two more. However, the trees they plant are saplings which cannot compare to the mature trees they removed. Older trees remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and more effectively prevent climate change. This also does not change the fact that companies are destroying the habitats of thousands of species and pushing them towards