Environmental Effects Of Deforestation

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Deforestation is often defined as the intentional clearing of a large naturally forested area. Deforestation has grown into an issue globally as the demand for wood has increased. This is problematic because cutting down large amounts of wood can lead to detrimental issues for the environment. If this trend continues, many forests will no longer exist and planet Earth could no longer support life as it does today. In fact, some countries expect their forests to disappear by 2035 if deforestation continues (Chuyuan 1). Deforestation is not ethical because it leads to loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and the increased emissions of greenhouse gases.
Deforestation leads to many consequences, but one of the most prominent effects is the loss …show more content…

Some people in favor of deforestation might argue that losing one species is not a big deal in the big picture. However, losing one species has a major impact on the other species within the ecosystem due to the food chain. Losing one link in the food chain could lead to the dependant species suffering of endangerment or extinction due to having no food source. This could easily cause a chain-reaction resulting in the loss of multiple species. Supporters of deforestation might also argue that soil erosion has no negative effects. Anyhow, soil erosion has negative effects that potentially could impact thousands of people. Since the soil is not anchored to the ground firmly and is susceptible to being moved with little force, it can easily get into waterways clogging hydroelectric structures. If these structures get clogged, they will not function properly therefore leaving the population of people it supplies electric for without any electric. If the soil clogs irrigation systems, it will cause issues for farmers as well. Lastly, there are some people who believe increased greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation is no big deal. Contrary to their beliefs, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a big issue. If all the trees are cut down via deforestation, they will not only release the gases they stored into the environment but they will no longer serve as a filter. This is an issue because as more greenhouse gases are trapped in our atmosphere, the more heat that is trapped as well leading to global warming. It is estimated that thirty percent of all greenhouse gas emissions globally are due to deforestation

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