Deforestation

Do you like trees? Do you like flowers? Do you like animals? Imagine living in a world where trees are cut down every day taking away homes for all types of animals and flowers. This is something that is called deforestation. Deforestation is when people cut down trees to make room to build houses and roads. This may seem like a good thing but when this is done it takes away the homes of many different animals and plants. Think about someone coming into your house and tearing it down without your permission. Having houses is a good thing but would it be fair to take away the homes of animals when they had it first?

Deforestation is something that is not caused by just one thing. Deforestation can be caused naturally by things like wild fires that burn down forests. Another cause is by people doing something called logging. Logging is when people cut down trees to use the wood to build houses, and tables. Farmers also contribute to deforestation, they clear out plots of land so that they have room to grow their crops and make a living. Deforestation has many effects on the environment and the climate. Deforestation is also known to play a part in global warming. Cutting down all of these trees also affects people. Trees give off oxygen for us to breathe while also absorbing carbon monoxide. On top of this the biggest problem with deforestation is losing animal and plant species.

Think about all of the animals that depend on the rainforests to survive. This is where they get their food, and shelter. Rainforests are home to half of the world’s animal species. Over time deforestation has destroyed a big amount of the worlds forests. Everyday about fifty different species are lost because of deforestation. At this rate what is left of the worlds rainforests could be gone in the next one hundred years, unless we stop cutting down the trees.

The only real way to fight deforestation is to stop cutting down trees all together. Some people try to replant seeds to bring back forests. This sounds like a good but once a rainforest is gone it will be the same again. Also even if you do somehow bring a forest back to life the species that died before are still gone. If deforestation does not stop now at the rate it is going there will be many consequences to pay in the future.