Opt Out Yellow Pages: Deforestation and Global Warming: How to Stop Deforestation

Posted by ypgg on April 28th, 2008 at 09:29pm

Deforestation is both a cause of and caused by global warming. When trees are removed for paper product manufacturing, agriculture, livestock farming or land clearing for building, the result is that less carbon dioxide can be absorbed. When less carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees, it goes into the atmosphere increasing the destruction of the ozone layer. This in turn makes the planet warmer which causes drought and higher temperatures. This causes fewer trees to grow and eliminates many highly valuable ecosystems around the planet. And the cycle continues…

 

Deforestation happens because of:

 

·            Forests and woodlands being converted into farm lands to feed the ever-increasing population of Earth

·            Tropical countries “trading off” their forests for the development of cash crops and cattle ranching

·            Commercial logging operations that take the trees for paper product development and open the land for further agriculture

·            Trees being destroyed for firewood

·            Tree foliage being lopped heavily for fodder

·            Sapling destruction by domestic animals

·            Poor soils in humid tropical lands being depleted for agricultural usage forcing the people to clear more land for farming

 

What happens because of deforestation:

 

·            The Earth’s carbon cycle is disrupted. Forests absorb carbon dioxide for the creation of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that make up trees. When forests are cleared away, the trees are either burnt or they rot. This releases the stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere - except there are fewer trees around to absorb it. CO2 is a greenhouse gas. Deforestation contributes 1/3 of all CO2 released due to humans.

·            The Earth’s water cycle is disrupted. The process of transpiration is when trees draw ground water up through their roots and release it into the atmosphere. More than 1/2 of the water in many ecosystems is held inside of the trees. When the trees are removed, the result is a dryer area. The effect is a drier climate for that region. This is a significant reason as to why the Earth is becoming warmer and more drought ridden.

·            Without the protection of the forest foliage and protective vegetation cover, the soil erodes and is depleted of its nutrients.

·            Over 1/2 of the planet’s species live in the forests. When the forests are destroyed, so are they.

 

Worldwide, a plot the size of 20 rugby fields is being taken away by deforestation every minute! While trees are a renewable resource, they take a long time to replace. Obviously, the statistics clearly show that the forests have been and continue to disappear. The madness has to be stopped!

 

Here are some things that you can do help:

 

·            Talk about it! The planet is filled with people who are fighting every day to compete in capitalistic endeavors. They live in cities. They never really take the time to consider the fact that they still have responsibilities to the environment. Help them to understand.

·            Grow a garden and support your local farmers. When we buy food that has to be shipped in to our areas, we are encouraging the increase of agriculture in forested lands. The shipping itself is a huge problem for the environment because of the massive amounts of water and air pollution released in the process.

·            Go meatless - at least a couple days every week. This will decrease the heavy demand for cattle ranching and thereby the release of noxious methane gases created by the cattle. This will decrease the need for land clearing as well as decreasing the greenhouse effect.

·            Go paperless whenever possible. Use recycled paper products and encourage others to do the same. Opt out of receiving bulky, landfill-stuffing phone directories several times every year.

 

Don’t feel helpless; be helpful! You can make a small difference every single day by taking proactive steps to decrease deforestation. It all starts with a little knowledge and the desire to make the planet a better place for everyone to live.

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