The Problem of Deforestation: the List of Causes and Main Effects

It is clear that year by year our ecosystem is getting polluted which means so does the planet. Because everything is moving towards chaos, in this case, the environment is suffering the most. Unfortunately, humankind because of its unawareness or unwillingness to protect its true “gold” our surroundings faces a new challenge, more powerful and threatening than any other problems. Researchers name this issue as deforestation which means cutting, clearing, and evacuation of rainforest or related biological systems into less bio-differing environments, for example, field, cropland, or manors as indicated by Kricher. The shocking fact comes from FAO that informs that about half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared and erased. This deforestation causes and effects essay states that agriculture, livestock ranching, and logging are the main causes of deforestation and will be discussed respectively.

Firstly, in accordance with studies agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation. As indicated by a report arranged by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), roughly 80 percent of the deforestation on the planet today is credited to agribusiness (for example 48 percent to subsistence farming and 32 percent to business horticulture). Also, there is a shocking fact investigated by the research of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which states that the Earth loses 18.7 million sections of land of woods every year, which is equivalent to 27 soccer fields each moment. This means that literally, we will be witnesses of thousands of woods cut by the end of this essay. So why are these numbers increasing not by day, but by minutes or even seconds? The answer lies down under the craving of people for various types of food. Rapid demand for soybeans, palm oil and other variations of products “forces” sellers to produce (cut) as much product to survive under strict rules of competitiveness. “First come, first served” concept makes mad farmers that are willing to take as much market pie as possible. Usually, in order to not to lose time, ranchers try to hide tracks by slashing and burning the remains of wood. As a result, we have consumers who are careless to their situation and money-minded producers that have no eagerness to take a moment and look at how they are ruining our future.

Second biggest cause as stated by previously mentioned UNFCCC (14 % of the total number) is logging. Logging, or cutting down trees to use it as a fuel, is one of the leading origins of this headache. Indonesia, one of the main exporters of timber, has lots of problems with logging too. Because not all the population are rolling in money, they have to work for a minor wage in order to bring food to their houses. In line with the World Resources Institute, it is crucial to point out that only 20% of all the timber exported is legally done. Other 80% are freely done without legitimate punishment. Moreover, based on news.mongabay.com, these illegal activities bring 10-15$ billion annually to the pockets of these criminals. Of course, this money is enough for some government members to close a blind eye to this issue.

Another example of desertification is livestock ranching. As previously mentioned, people’s “want” do not see the edge. As an outcome, we have an additional cause of deforestation, livestock ranching. A perfect example of this kind of activity is shown in Brazil. As reported by Earth Policy Institute, Brazil has lost 55 million hectares of wood since 1990, an area three-fourths of the size of Texas, and the big driver is clearing lands for farms and ranches. Also, it is a fact that there is located the biggest forest area, Amazon. To prove how this problem is gaining momentum, sone research provides a fact that 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon forest. This leads to massive oxygen shortage and generates a vast drop in the number of woods.

As a rule of life, we have a lot of problems and there are many priorities among them. By cutting an additional tree, people are not aware that they are digging their own graves. Every felled tree raises the probability that next second we will not be able to breathe. To solve this problem, people should understand and admit their responsibilities. Humankind should swallow the bitter pill and accept that it is on their shoulders to take care of this planet, otherwise, they will not only be miserable today but also shamed by their children tomorrow. But if the humanity keeps on ignoring all the statistics, closing their eyes on this problem and hoping for colonizing Mars in onerous times, they should keep in mind that we might have “Plan B”, but we do not have “Planet B”. So, we should stop this small knocking on our door until it transforms to drumming the same door.