Negative Impacts Of Deforestation On Environment

Deforestation takes 7 billion trees each year. That’s 200,000 acres every day and 55,600 trees a minute. These many trees get cut down for lumber, spaces for housing, and land to grow food. But, taking this many trees away has some negative effects. Deforestation contributes to global warming and trees can be a limited resource. Nigeria is hit the worst. It has lost more than half of its primary forest in the past five years. These are just some of the reasons why we as a world need to stop or at least decrease deforestation.

Deforestation causes flooding. Trees prevent sediment runoffs. Forests also hold more water than farms or grasslands. Research shows that extreme deforestation played a big role in the huge Yangtze River floods of 1998. The roots of the tree absorb water from the soil. That means that the soil can be drier so it can absorb more rainwater. The roots of the tree also hold the soil in place. The fewer the trees, the more floods.

Deforestation contributes to the extinction of wildlife. The loss of more than 99% of Haiti’s primary virgin forests is triggering an ongoing mass extinction of reptiles, amphibians, and many other species. Deforestation is the main threat to species globally. It is a bigger threat to them than disease, climate change, or invasive species.

The proceedings of the national academy of sciences suggest that in less than two decades, Haiti will lose all of its primary forests. As a result most of its endemic species will disappear. Endemic species are species that occur in only one part of the world.

Deforestation affects our global air quality. Trees release water vapor into the air which affects atmospheric temperatures and other crucial elements that keep the earth in good shape. When there are less trees, there isn’t as much water vapor released into the air which means an imbalance occurs. Once that happens, we start to see the effects of global warming and the rise of the temperature. As well as causing a rise in the global temperature, deforestation affects the air that we breathe.

Why does deforestation exist? It creates more usable space for growth, creates more job openings, and gives us a chance to produce more food. As Ronald Raegan once said, “Trees, how many of em’ do we need to look at?” But, deforestation affects the air that we breathe, it contributes to the extinction of wildlife, and it causes flooding. It is a possibility that the planet will lose all of its rainforests in as little as 100 years. If this happens, all of the species of plants and animals that are native to them will be lost too. This is why we need to take action right now and spread awareness about this situation.

In conclusion, we need to stop or at least decrease deforestation. Deforestation causes global warming, extinction of wildlife, and flooding. The cons clearly outweigh the pros in this argument. This is about more than having extra space to grow and more materials, this is affecting our planet dramatically. If we continue doing what we are now, rainforests will be a thing of the past as well as all of the species that were in them. Future generations would learn about rainforests in history books. Rainforests are the lungs of our planet. We need to protect them. Hopefully you have taken into consideration everything that you have read and agreed with me.