A Look into the Growing Deforestation Issues of the Amazon Rainforest
For many years, deforestation has been a big problem that has affected the Earth. It has impacted the Earth’s climate, people, animals, and more. There are many forests on planet Earth, but one of the most important and well known forests is the Amazon. Specifically, the Amazon Rainforest.
More than half of the animals and plants that humans know come from the rainforest. In addition, more than twenty percent of the world’s oxygen comes from the rainforest. As you can see, the Amazon Rainforest is very important to the Earth.
The Amazon Rainforest is very crucial to the Earth however, there are issues in the forest. One of the biggest issues is deforestation. One of the biggest affects of deforestation is that there is a lot of carbon dioxide in the air. The trees take in Carbon Dioxide. This is a poisonous gas that humans breathe out. Without trees there would be too much Carbon Dioxide and the air would not be good for humans to breathe. As you can see, trees are very important to help get rid of Carbon Dioxide.
Next, another issue is soil erosion. Soil erosion is when the soil in the ground, it comes up and spreads all over the Earth. This is bad because soil can run into the Amazon River and pollute the water. Trees can help stop soil erosion by holding the soil in place. Therefore, when deforestation happens, soil erosion gets worse.
Lastly, deforestation another issue for deforestation is Habitat loss. Many animals have homes in trees. However when people cut down trees, the animal’s home gets destroyed. This is bad because the animals can die and their species become extinct. We must stop deforestation to help the animals.
There are many problems with deforestation. However, there are ways you can help:
- Support indigenous populations- Donate to organizations that help the indigenous (native) tribes
- Support grass root organizations- donate to the grassroots organizations.
- Volunteer- Find mission trips and volunteer opportunities to help with rain forest conservation.
Donation Links:
- https://www.gofundme.com/f/earth-minions-fundraising-page
- https://www.amazonconservation.org/take-action/donate/
- https://amazonwatch.org/donate
- https://www.iwgia.org/en/get-involved.html
- https://act.ran.org/page/24255/donate/1?en_og_source=ad_gad&gclid=CjwKCAiA5IL-BRAzEiwA0lcWYiOvy9Cxa4BAf_Zn-B5sjwEZiO-sc6S8wrAdb9_SNon9eAxwqiy37RoCbRkQAvD_BwE
Sources:
- https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/what-can-i-do-to-help-the-amazon-rainforest
- https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-deforestation.php
- https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html
Daniel Cho (xxdanielcho@gmail.com) is a 7th grade student at William H. Farquhar Middle School. He is one of the co-founders and the current Vice President of Earth Minions. He is passionate about animal cruelty, climate change, and habitat loss. Outside of being a student and working with the Earth Minions, Daniel enjoys dancing, soccer, and singing.
