Today we want to tell you about the reasons and consequences of deforestation.

First of all, let’s talk about climate change.

According to NASA, “since fires produce carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, biomass burning emissions significantly influence the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Biomass burning has both short- and long-term impacts on the environment. Vegetation acts as a sink — a natural storage area — for carbon dioxide by storing it over time through the process of photosynthesis. As burning occurs, it can release hundreds of years worth of stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in a matter of hours. Burning also will permanently destroy an important sink for carbon dioxide if the vegetation is not replaced.”

In addition to its local effects, burning organic materials on a large scale, like what is done with slash-and-burn agriculture, emits greenhouse gases, which contribute to global climate change.

It is estimated that 25% of the world’s total greenhouse gas production comes from deforestation alone. Furthermore, forests around the world store more than double the amount of carbon dioxide than is found in the atmosphere. This means that when areas are deforested, the carbon dioxide stored is released into the atmosphere.

Paper

Logging for paper products is one of the simplest causes of deforestation to solve. By recycling and not relying so much on paper products, the amount of land deforested for this purpose can be reduced.

Urban Sprawl

As urban sprawl moves into forested areas, it greatly contributes to climate change while also threatening the natural environment and biodiversity. According to one study, “projected urban expansion could consume hundreds of thousands of hectares’ worth of key biodiversity hotspots over the next twenty years, triggering the release of some 5 billion tons of carbon dioxide from direct land-use change and further endangering hundreds of species.”

The amount of carbon that could be released by urban sprawl is staggering. Furthermore, expanding out into forested areas, especially rainforests, decrease biodiversity. The decrease in biodiversity coupled with increasing rates of climate change will not only shift the way the land is used and the ecology of the land itself but also increased the potential for the success of invasive species, which will only further change the environment around cities. City populations are expected to grow by five billion people and expand by 1.2 million square kilometres by 2030.

Much of this expansion is forecasted to occur in the tropics, which contain the bulk of the world’s species. The new study attempts to quantify the impact of urbanization on the world’s so-called ‘hotspots’ — nearly three dozen areas with exceptionally high levels of species found nowhere else which means “that by 2030, nearly three percent of hotspot areas will be urbanized, up from one percent in 2000. While the extent seems small, paving over marshes, forests, and grasslands could generate 1.38 billion tons of carbon emissions (5 billion tons of CO2) from direct land-use change.”

Other impacts

Deforestation affects climate change on a large scale, as discussed in the sections above; however, climate change is not the only negative consequence of deforestation. There are many other ways in which deforestation has negative impacts to the environment.

Water Cycles

Trees undergo a natural process called “transpiration.” This is when the leaves of trees secrete water which is evaporated into the atmosphere. When this water evaporates, it becomes clouds, which, as part of the hydrological cycle, swells with moisture and rains back down again. When trees are cut down in a forest, it eliminates or decreases the amount of transpiration, which means that the amount of rainfall in that area will decrease. This can lead to droughts in the area. When the trees in the area are cut down for agricultural purposes, it actually affects the success of local crops. With less naturally occurring water, farmers have to make a more intensive effort to ensure that their crops are properly hydrated, which can cost the farmers even more money.

Loss of Biodiversity

The loss of forests also means the loss of habitats for many species of plants and animals. Seventy percent of the world’s plants and animals live in forests and are losing their habitats to deforestation. Naturally, the loss of habitat means the loss of species and therefore the loss of biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity has varied negative impacts regarding the environment. Once a habitat is lost on a large scale, it can be very difficult for local species to recover, especially endemic species, which are more common in areas such as tropical rainforests, which are so dense with endemic species they are referred to as “hot-spots”.

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We are a social enterprise with the purpose-driven mission to fight poverty, and through our work in the Amazon Rainforest, fight global warming and climate change. The Amazon is the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest on Earth. It represents half of the planet’s remaining rainforest and is home to half of all our plant and animal species, many of these unique to the Amazon. The diverse ecosystem contains priceless and essential resources for human existence and longevity and is a vital world treasure that must be protected and proactively sustained. Our Model embraces the challenge to make our planet sustainable and green again with the SMART use of the natural resources in the Forest, City, and Water.