Deforestation | Teen Ink

Deforestation

December 22, 2016
By *BumbleBee* BRONZE, South Orange, New Jersey
*BumbleBee* BRONZE, South Orange, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

About 31% of the forest is left in the world right now. Deforestation is the clearing of trees. That has caused many problems. Logging companies have too much power, they can just constantly cut down forests, removing large amounts of forest in just a short amount of time. The companies relentlessly try to get more power . It is impacting the environment, causing global warming to build up and many species to become extinct. This essay will try to explain how logging companies abuses their power to cut down trees and what are the consequences.

   
   

According to the American Forests article, a mature trees can store up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide. Every tree that is cut down releases the carbon dioxide it has stored. As logging companies cut down more tree, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. That contributes to global warming, making it trap more heat. The American Forests also says trees can absorb and release water which cools the surrounding area. In Amazon, parts of the forests that have been cleared it has created droughts and forest fires.

   

Another thing that the cutting down of trees are affecting is the species of animals that rely on forests. Along with poaching, it has caused many species to become extinct or endangered. On the website, The World Counts, it says that humans have accelerated the rate of historical extinction by 10,000 times.  It has also destroyed the homes of many species. It has also caused some animals to get closer to civilization. Soon most species in the world might disappear. On The World Counts, it states that some people believes that half of the living species could be extinct within 100 years. We must avert this problem

   

The logging also creates erosion. Without the trees or anything to hold the dirt down, the fertile land will become dry. According to the website on World Wildlife (WWF) ,when people use that land as farms, plants like coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat accelerate erosion.   On WWF, it says that scientist have estimated that a third of the arable land though erosions and others since 1960. That shows the earth is running out of fertile soil. No fertile soil means no agriculture. People will try looking for new forest to cut down for farming but after the harvests, the land will become dry. This shows how erosion can affect everyone.

   

These show how logging companies are abusing their power and how it has affect this world. As time goes on, more forest will be removed which will impact the world even more.  Some might say that it is natural, but this is unprecedented. The logging companies abuse their power to not get in trouble. Then the officials can’t anything about it. It is pivotal that we do something about it, people can no longer be taciturn about it.

 

"Number of Species Gone Extinct - so Far This Year." The World Counts. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.                         

@americanforests. "Home." American Forests. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

"Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects." LiveScience. Purch, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

"Deforestation." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.



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