Negative Effects Of Deforestation

Deforestation is destroying our Earth

Deforestation is destroying our planet and making it unsafe for us to live on. Unfortunately, each year deforestation rates are increasing. First, let me inform you about deforestation. Deforestation is the clearance, clearing, or removal of a forest or stand of trees in which the land is converted to a non-forest use. Some examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. Tropical rainforests are where the most concentrated deforestation occurs. Although, deforestation does occur in heavily populated areas as well.

Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species. Seventy percent

Fewer forests mean larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere and increased speed and severity of global warming. Although deforestation rates have slowed a bit in recent years, the reality makes this unlikely to continue to proceed with this decrease. Tree roots grasp onto the soil. Therefore, without trees the soil is able to wash or blow away. If enough soil is able to wash or be blown away, it can lead to vegetation growth problems. The WWF states that scientists estimate that a third of the world’s arable land has been lost to deforestation since 1960. After a disastrous clearance due to deforestation, cash crops such as coffee, soy and palm oil are planted. Planting these types of trees can cause further soil erosion because their roots cannot grasp onto the soil. Soil erosion can also lead to silt entering the lakes, streams and other water sources. This can decrease local water quality and contribute to poor health in populations in the area. This silt can also cause our fresh water supply

shockingly, one and a half acres of forest is cut down every second. Furthermore, loss of forests contributes between 12% and 17% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, if the current rate of deforestation continues, it will take less than 100 years to destroy all the rainforests on the earth. To show you a comparison of the amount of deforestation there is in the world, the rate of deforestation is equal to the loss of 20 football fields every minute. In fact, according to the Rainforest Action Network, the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population yet consumes more than 30% of the world’s paper. This means that we are using surplus amounts of paper, even more than we are capable of