Say NO to DEFORESTATION!
Jazz Dixon
English PreAP
6 December 2005
Period 6
Deforestation Limitation
Balance is an ancient and vital key to the world known today. For example, the balance of carbon in the air and in the earth has crucial importance in maintaining a healthy environment. Deforestation upsets the balance of any ecosystem, which makes it a very harmful factor to the environment, and should be limited to a much greater degree.
Though it is more convenient for society to clear forested land in order to install more farmland, homes, parking lots, or city centers, many supporters of deforestation fail to look at the consequences on the environment. One of the most important exingencies to deforestation is the issue of carbon build-up in the atmosphere. According to The Future 500, carbon is taken from the air “through the growth of woody plant material or through the growth of coral reefs.” However, by not only burning fossil fuels, which are actually compacted ancient plant vegetation, but cutting down mass quantities of trees at the same time, much more carbon is released into the atmosphere than absorbed by the earth’s vegetation. The Future 500 also states that “fifteen percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere during the 1980’s can be attributed to the destruction of tropical forests alone.” This carbon build-up can have an alarming effect on the earth’s natural global warming process. In fact, the Kyoto Commitment for Canada has found that “every tonne of carbon burned produces 3.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The global consumption of fossil fuels is estimated to release 22 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year - and the amounts are still climbing.” The amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere has been rising since the Industrial Revolution, according to many sources. It seems as though the solution to this particular problem would be closer to planting more trees, instead of cutting them down.
Another crisis introduced by deforestation is the cultural diversity that is lost. There are thousands of indigenous tribes scattered throughout South America and Africa who are highly dependent on the tropical forests in which they reside. Many already have been evicted from their land due to deforestation. Though they have been “paid in return” for the lands that were taken from them, they remain with nowhere to go, and do not know how to accustom themselves to modern society. The Future 500 reports that “ecoregions consisting of moist tropical forest, the Amazon Basin in particular, are not only the most species rich, but also support the largest number of indigenous populations (over two-thirds of all those found in Latin America)” and exclaims over the fact that “there have been more extinctions of tribal peoples in this century than any other, with Brazil loosing 87 tribes between 1900 and 1950.”
If loss of cultural diversity is not an important enough value, then the sheer numbers of biodiversity being lost should be enough to command one’s attention. The amount of rare endemic life facing extinction with the removal of tropical trees is tenfold that of Millions upon thousands of species reside in the beautiful forests that are presently being demolished to make room for more agricultural lands, which have not even been identified yet. Not only are animals endangered, but also the millions of yet undiscovered vegetation, several of which could very likely prove to be cures for thousands of currently terminal diseases. According to the World Rainforest Movement, “twenty-five percent of medicines come from the forests,” and “Tropical Rainforests presently give a place to call home for 50%-90% of all organisms. . . .and fifty million creatures that can live no place but the rich rainforests.” USA Today provides the statistic that “Deforestation was most extensive in South America, where an average of 10.6 million acres were lost annually over the last five years, followed by Africa with 9.8 million acres.” Now, according to this source, “deforestation, mainly the conversion of forests to agricultural land, continues at a rate of about 32 million acres per year.” Uncountable numbers of incomparable fauna or the possible cure for cancer or leukemia could disappear forever with every nonchalant acre of Rainforest that is destroyed.
A result of deforestation that is even more crucial and immediate than any of the others is the physical effect that removing the trees and vegetation from the land has on the environment. Without trees to stabilize the soil, the surface run-off from rainfall dramatically increases, causing floods and mud-slides, which are readily hazardous to homes and communities. The trees usually prevent much of the rain from actually reaching the ground, absorbing much of the water. In addition to this problem, the climate of the area can be drastically changed from lack of trees. An article on deforestation by Jocelyn Stock and Andy Rochen theorizes that “the increase in the carbon level and other greenhouse gas levels into the atmosphere leads to an increase in temperature, and eventually a change in climate and weather.”
Deforestation has so many drastic consequences, that at most it should be limited to more than half of the average demolition rate today. Not only would the limit help to keep the air and ecosystems cleaner, stabilize excess run-off, provide homes for plants, animals, and people, but also it would help keep that vital balance in nature that is needed to keep the earth a livable place.
HUAH! SAY NO TO DEFORESTATION! O__O
Yeah. Just got done writing a 3-page persuasive essay for English class. It was quite fun, actually. Really. Then again I got to pick the topic, and do the research, and I'd like to slap it in stupid people's faces. Heh. Half my English class needs to read this essay. Most of them can't even spell deforestation, much less know anything about it. Then again, they're Oklahomans. Oklahoma's been deforested since white people moved in there. And for most of them, if something's taking place outside of Oklahoma, or even outside the college foot-ball stadium, for a fair few of them, they frankly don't give a freak.
Not much happened today. Ugh. Its a Monday. Which means I was unusually tired. Plus I was loaded up on homework. Just finished a book card on a book I've never read. (Thank God for online book notes), and just recently finished this Essay. Now I have to fnish the essay on my mousetrap car project, do 17 crappy Physical Science problems to keep Mr. Lord happy, and finish that worksheet for Algebra II. Oh yeah, and a vocabulary lesson to wrap up too. And I'm supposed to look up some chapters from the Silver Chair--the 6th Narnia book--to do for a possible monologue or DI. Yey. I prolly won't get to bed before 12, but thats okay. I've got God to talk to. ^_^
Talked to Kami on the phone for quite a while today, which made me really happy. And we might not have school on Wednesday, due to bad weather. That'd be awesome if it happened. I'll need to catch up on sleep anyway. *yawns*
Yep. That's about it. Comment me on thoughts about the essay. Comment me if you find anything wrong with it.
--Eldalinde