Is Cutting Down These Trees Truly Worth It?- A Peek Into Deforestation
When thinking about environmental issues, many people think of climate change, water pollution, and other more publicized issues. However, not many people realize that deforestation is one of the biggest environmental issues in the world. Forests make up about 30% of the Earth’s surface. Forests are resourceful to humans in many different ways. Forests also provide crucial habitats for wildlife. However, deforestation is rapidly wiping out the trees on Earth at an alarming rate.
To start, deforestation is when trees/forests are removed from an area in order to add something else in its place. These removals are permanent and cannot be taken back. They can also be cut down because resources such as timber are needed, and the trees provide crucial resources for humankind. Cutting trees down can be helpful to us, but there are also many cons to it. As mentioned before, these trees aren’t just beneficial to humans but various other living creatures as well. These forests are homes and places for animals to find food. By cutting trees down, these animals need to flee in search of other suitable places to live. Another huge con relates back to climate change. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, which is something people exhale. Along with carbon dioxide, trees also absorb greenhouse gases that come from people. Greenhouse gases can help worsen the climate change issue. So the more of these gases that get into our atmosphere, the worse the situation becomes. With climate change as one of the most threatening environmental issues, we should be thankful for the trees absorbing these gases.
Removal of trees is not always caused by humans. There are natural causes such as forest fires that could be the reason for massive tree removals. Other natural trigger could be overgrazing. Forest fires and overgrazing are unintentional causes, which means they don’t happen on purpose. However, trees could be purposely removed for various reasons. One example is “in Malaysia and Indonesia, forests are cut down to make way for producing palm oil, which can be found in everything from shampoo to saltiness.” Or, trees could be cut to develop urban sprawl. Urban sprawl refers to land designated for future homes to be built on. Sadly, some people illegally remove trees too. These illegal actions lead to further deforestation.
As there are many reasons for trees to be cut down, there are also many solutions people could attempt to use. With agriculture being one of the top reasons for cutting down trees, people could develop different ideas and practices that could hopefully lower the need for more land. New innovative sustainable agricultural practices are paving the way for more safe and healthier farming methods. Another solution is planting trees. This is a volunteer activity that anyone of any age and background can participate in. Planting trees carries out the purpose of restoring the land that was previously cleared out. As people plant trees, the environment will gradually mend itself and things will start to reestablish. There are many different groups and organizations that are involved with various types of tree planting opportunities. By simply searching on the internet you can find a group for yourself. If you’d like to, you can also form a group with your neighborhood or people from school. Finally, we can try to reduce the amount of paper, palm oil, and fossil fuels we use can contribute to reducing deforestation on our planet.
As proven, these trees are very valuable to our environment. They can be resourceful after being cut down, but by doing so, other issues such as climate change become worse. Deforestation is merely one of the few environmental issues in our world. However, many passionate heroes are working to help our Earth. Keep in mind, even the smallest action will be helpful to our environment. Be a hero for the Earth and join in the fight against deforestation yourself!
Sources:
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/deforestation
- https://explore.proquest.com/sirsdiscoverer/document/2265927449?searchid=1624992158&accountid=3282
- https://explore.proquest.com/sirsdiscoverer/document/2265898358?searchid=1624992238&accountid=3282
- https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html
Joanna Kim, (joanna011709@gmail.com) is a rising 7th grader attending Ellicott Mills Middle School. She enjoys spreading animal endangerment awareness along with environmental projects. In Joanna’s free time she enjoys going on walks with her dog. She also enjoys traveling and helping others.
