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Damien Lagomarsino
English 12, G.C.P.
November 22, 2013
Deforestation
Deforestation is a huge threat on our worl an e!os"stem. Deforestation is the
s"stemati! removal of large tra!#s of trees for use as lumber or other $er$oses. %t !auses severe
environmental $roblems, ranging from erosion an the loss of animal habitats to global warming.
%t is !ause b" a wie variet" of $erson, natural an e!onomi! fa!tors, not all of whi!h are
sub&e!t to the government's !ontrol. (he most effe!tive wa" of reu!ing the im$a!t of
eforestation is to ma#e $eo$le aware of all its negative effe!ts so the $eo$le in our worl an
so!iet" are willing to !hange their behavior.
(here nees to be restri!tions set on this if it's going to !ontinue. (he rate of the trees
getting !ut own is wa" too ra$i an will soon lea to massive !limate !hange.
(his is a huge im$a!t on the animals also. )hen eforestation ste$s in large amounts of
trees, brush an vegetation are being !ut own. No matter the si*e, big or small the animal will
be im$a!te in a negative wa" in this situation. +erbivores are greatl" numbere in ense forests,
when their foo su$$l" is !ut off the" are for!e to move somewhere else. ,ome !an ma#e ue
with what the" have an survive, but others !an ie an be!ome e-tin!t. (he herbivores are
affe!te but aren't the onl" ones, !arnivores also ha to eat. Carnivores will fee on the
herbivores an when the foo su$$l" for the herbivores e!reases, so oes the foo for the
!arnivores ma#ing it harer for them to survive in their home. )hen the a!t of eforestation
o!!urs the animals within the forest lose their home an habitat $ushing them to new areas whi!h
for!es them to tr" an aa$t. )hile trees #ee$ getting !ut own, animals are sear!hing for homes
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be!ause there $revious homes were estro"e. ,event" $er!ent of the worls lan mammals live
in rainforests. .an" of those animals are the worls most threatene or enangere animals.
Deforestation will &eo$ari*e the lives of these animals an ma#e them go e-tin!t if the #ee$
losing homes an their foo sour!e.
(he biggest !on!ern is the rainforest be!ause it is home to man" of the worls most
iverse an $o$ulate area $er !a$ita of animals. (he trees are a vital sour!e for these animals
an humans living insie them. (hese fires o not onl" alter the lan an !om$osition of the
forest, but on!e that se!tion is one burning it will $ush other s$e!ies to ifferent $arts whi!h
ma" o$en u$ forests to invasive s$e!ies. %f the forests get o$ene u$ to invasive s$e!ies that
woul throw off the forests balan!e an the" !oul $ossibl" over run the $arti!ular $art of the
forest. Plants an trees ever"where use !arbon io-ie as energ" an fuel to grow, when the" get
burne or start to e!a", !arbon io-ie is being release. / greenhouse gas !alle methane is
also release0 this gas is two times as $otent as !arbon io-ie. Ever" "ear about 12 to 34
million s5uare miles of forest are estro"e ea!h "ear ue to the !ause of fires, illegal logging,
ran!hing an logging for timber that is not sustainable for the e!os"stem. %t's estimate that
about 32 football fiels $er minute are !ut own an estro"e.
Ea!h "ear millions of a!res of forests are estro"e b" fires ue to there severit", fires
are also !ommonl" use to !lear lan for the use of there !ro$s an agri!ulture. 6ires !an also
!hange the soils fertilit" ma#ing it harer for more to grow after it, the water !"!les !an be throw
off an the livelihoos of the $eo$le living aroun or in the forest will totall" be !hange. 6orest
fires weather intentional or not, the" both !ontribute to the high amount of !arbon io-ie
release.
7Cattle raising has also been !riti!i*e for its role in the estru!tion of tro$i!al forests. +unres of
thousans of a!res of tro$i!al forests in 8ra*il, Guatemala, Costa 9i!a, an +onuras, to name &ust a few !ountries,
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have been levele to !reate $asture for !attle. ,in!e most of the forest is !leare b" burning, the e-tension of !attle
$asture also !reates !arbon io-ie, an, a!!oring to some environmentalists, !ontributes signifi!antl" to global
warming.: ;9i!har 9obbins, Global Problems an the !ulture of Ca$italism, </ll"n an 8a!on,1===>, $.220
(ogether forest egraation an eforestation ma#e it two times worse be!ause the
!arbon io-ie absorbers are being !ut own an gases are being release through the burning of
trees in a wilfire or the use of it as firewoo. 6orests $la" a !riti!al role in our worl's balan!e,
sin!e the trees have been getting !ut own an estro"e about 13 $er!ent of our worl's
greenhouse gases are a result in this. 6orest mitigate whi!h regulates our !limate !hange an
tem$erature, tress are li#e our natural !arbon sin#, soa#ing u$ all of the !arbon io-ie that if
the" weren't there it woul be release into our atmos$here. )ithout $rote!tion from the trees
the on!e moist an fruitful forest will 5ui!#l" r" out. (rees are also a big $art in the water !"!le
b" absorbing it an then later returning the water in va$or form ba!# into the atmos$here.
)ithout these trees our forests !an 5ui!#l" turn in to baron, r" an uninhabite areas of lan.
(he trees #ee$ a !ano$" for below whi!h blo!#s the eathl" sun ra"s uring the a" an #ee$s
warmth uring night. (he isru$tion of this natural !"!le !an lea to more severe an or e-treme
tem$erature swings that !an harm the $lants an animals within.
)e shoul be !on!erne mainl" about our tro$i!al forests be!ause the" hol a lot of our
worls iversit" in animals an without those trees an homes for those animal eforestation is
e!reasing there $o$ulation number. )e have lost about 1? $er!ent of our rainforest in the last
30 "ears ue to !attle ran!hers neeing more lan, fires, an illegal logging. /ll of these fa!tors
throw off the forests natural balan!e an in the long run this will !ome ba!# an be a huge $art of
wh" the earth is be!oming so unhealth". /ll of these fumes an gases the farmers an businesses
are $rou!ing while the" estro" the trees have no $la!e to go but u$ into our atmos$here
be!ause there are no trees there to su!# in the !arbon io-ie. /s a result of the tree number
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e!reasing the number of gases an harmful fumes are being release into the atmos$here
!ausing more amage than the ever" a" human oes.
%n toa"'s worl forests are being !ut own for mone" relate things or the nee to
$rovie to their families. (he biggest reason for eforestation is agri!ulture. (he farmers !ut
own trees an brush so there is more room for $lanting their !ro$s or for gra*ing livesto!#.
@er" often small farmers will !ut own a few a!res so the" !an $lant !ro$s an have animals
gra*e so the" !an fee their families, but while the" !lear the trees the" use a 7slash an burn:
te!hni5ue. Not all eforestation is one on $ur$ose0 some is !ause b" natural wilfires an the
overgra*ing of livesto!#. (hough it ma" not seem as ba while ha$$ening, the long term effe!t is
that it ma" !ause the $revention of tree growth in those areas. /nother big reason wh" trees are
being !ut own is for toba!!o. (his !ontributes to the worlwie eforestation $er!ent. A$ to 3.?
$ouns of woo is use to ma#e one $a!# of !igarettes, not for the $a$er bo- or the $a$er aroun
the !igarette, but there is a $ro!ess where the woo nees to be rie an that re5uires a great
amount of woo. %n man" of the $oor !ountries that are #nown for toba!!o $rou!tion, the" burn
the woo to r" the leaves. (his r"ing $ro!ess ta#es u$ to seven a"s whi!h means there has to
be !onstant fire to r" them. Bn!e that $ro!ess is one, that's where the 3.? $ouns of woo
!omes from, not even in!luing the $a$er use for the bo- or aroun the !igarette.
Ever" "ear 1=1,000 a!res of forest are !ut own for the use as firewoo to ma#e
!igarettes. 33 !ountries are now in an environmental !risis be!ause the toba!!o !om$anies
!ontinue to 7slash an burn: their trees to ma#e !igarettes. %n ,outh /meri!a 12 $er!ent of the
trees the" !ut own goes to toba!!o $rou!tion, Corea is even worse with 13 $er!ent. (hat is
almost half of there eforestation $er!ent. (he toba!!o !om$anies are a huge !ontribution to
eforestation. /nother huge im$a!t on eforestation is the !om$anies an $eo$le !utting
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illegall", not following rules an regulations set. Peo$le ma" steal an ta#e the woo from
$rote!te areas or even &ust harvest more than is $ermitte. %llegal logging o!!urs all aroun the
worl, in some !ountries it o!!urs more than the legal variet". (his mass estru!tion is
threatening some of our worls most valuable an famous forests li#e the rainforests in the
/ma*on, Congo 8asin, %nonesia an the forest in 6ar East 9ussia. )hile the !om$anies !utting
own trees legall", the ones not are the !ause for the $ri!e of timber to e!rease whi!h !auses
wages an salar" to e!rease for the law abiing !iti*ens.
(oba!!o is a huge reason wh" there are so man" !ountries in a !risis. (oba!!o $rou!tion
is awful an nees to either slow own or !om$letel" sto$. )hile there ma!hines are ma#ing
their toba!!o $rou!ts the" are also releasing harmful gases into the atmos$here. (oba!!o
!om$anies have 2D1 $er!ent of the global agri!ultural number of lan, leaving a noti!eable
foot$rint in our worl in natural !limate !hange. (he toba!!o $lant its self !onsumes nutrients
from the soil at a more intense rate than most !ro$s o. (he farmers use $esti!ies whi!h lea to
soil e!om$osition. (hat means that on!e the (oba!!o $lant is gone the soil that is left will not
be fertile enough to su$$ort the life of another $lant or tree. (he $esti!ie the" use is !alle
/li!arb whi!h is ver" to-i!. %t is sai that even one, one thousanth of a ose is lethal to a
human if ingeste. (his to-in is also ver" harmful to birs, $lants fish an even #ills earthworms.
/li!arb has bee foun in the water of 2? states in the A.,.
/nother Pesti!ie the" use is !alle Chlor$"rifos. (his is #nown to affe!t the
human nervous s"stem an is !losel" relate to human birth efe!ts. /s well as geneti! amage
to our l"m$h !ells an bloo !ells. Di!hloro$ro$ene is an e-tremel" to-i! soil filament that has
been #nown to !ause res$irator" $roblems in humans of all ages. %t also has been #nown to leave
$eo$le with #ine" amage an e"e an s#in irritation. (his is on of man" that is wiel" use b"
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the toba!!o !om$anies aroun the worl toa". .eth"l 8romie is an o*one e$leting !hemi!al
that is usuall" use b" farmers to fumigate the soil. %n 1==? 3.3 million $ouns of this !hemi!al
was a$$lie to !ountless toba!!o fiels aroun the A,. (his is a etrimental effe!t on our worl
!om$letel" an will soon have a great noti!eable im$a!t. (his nees to !ome to a sto$ before the
worls natural balan!e be!omes even more thrown off than it alrea" has been.
/ll of the fast foo inustries are im$orting their so !alle 7fresh: /meri!an beef is not
a!tuall" /meri!an. (he !attle are being fe grain an are gra*ing in southern !ountries.
78eef is terribl" ineffi!ient as a sour!e of foo. 8" the time a feelot steer in the Anite ,tates is rea" for
slaughter, it has !onsume 2,?00 $ouns of grain an weighs a$$ro-imatel" 1,030 $ouns0 13? million
metri! tons of !ereal an vegetable $rotein is use to $rou!e 24 metri! tons of animal $rotein. E 8eef in
the 5uantities that /meri!ans !onsume it is unhealth", being lin#e to !ariovas!ular isease, !olon !an!er,
breast !an!er, an osteo$orosis. Fet /meri!ans are among the highest meat !onsumers in the worl an the
highest !onsumers of beef.:;9i!har 9obbins, Global Problems /n the !ulture of Ca$italism.</ll"n an
8a!on, 1===>$.22
(he beef that is being !onsume at the fast foo restaurant !hains is ver" unhealth" for an" of the
$eo$le eating it. (he /meri!ans are the highest re meat !onsumers in the worl. / great number
of our beef is trans$orte long istan!es an the 5ualit" of the beef is not as goo 5ualit" as the"
ma" sa" it is.
/ wa" to ma#e $eo$le aware of this negative effe!t on the worl its self that human
beings that live on is to raise awareness so the $eo$le in the worl an small so!ieties will
!hange to hel$ a better !ause, in this !ase is saving our $lanet. 9e!"!ling is a huge wa" to hel$. %t
is a wa" that !om$anies are able to use !ertain $rou!ts over an over again to !reate new
$rou!ts that are &ust as goo as the non re!"!le $rou!ts. (he $eo$le in the worl that are
!utting own the trees anGor burning them own for farm use !oul fin wa"s to not estro"
what's left when the" are gone. (hat wa" the farmers are able to re use that lan, minimi*ing the
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amount of eforestation. %f the large !om$anies an farmers using huge 5uantities of the lan
e!rease their lan use b" &ust a fra!tion, it will benefit the environment in a $ositive wa".