Deforestation Essay For Children, Deforestation Is One Of The Biggest Environmental
Deforestation is cutting down a large number of trees và clearing out forest areas. The various reasons behind these human activities are increasing the space for human usage lượt thích logging or wood extraction, agricultural expansion, infrastructure expansion etc. Deforestation is harmful to the environment because it causes a lot of carbon emissions & alters the natural ecosystem. It also contributes lớn global warming và climate change because plants release the stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when they are cutting down. The deforestation essay urges us lớn learn the causes, effects & preventive measures of deforestation.
Deforestation is a severe problem, & we must stop cutting down precious trees. Trees are destroyed lớn make way for urban development và the cultivation of crops. Lớn expand the land area and construct buildings, production houses và manufacturing plants, we are cutting down trees, and the government is trying its best lớn avoid deforestation. The process of deforestation also increases the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change on the planet. Once the kids have understood the causes và effects of this issue, you can engage them in writing an essay on deforestation by referring to lớn BYJU’S deforestation essay pdf.
Table of Contents
Causes of Deforestation
Deforestation is a global phenomenon, & one of the leading causes of deforestation is the expansion of cities. People want to live in cities, but they often don’t realise how dangerous this can be lớn the environment and contributes to environmental pollution. Let us learn the causes that have led to deforestation and destroying the planet by reading the deforestation essay in English.
Other causes of deforestation are urbanisation, farming & a massive population explosion at a global level. As the population increases at a tremendous rate, the space for people to lớn live is shrinking. Hence, people destroy forests khổng lồ create living space, roads and excellent infrastructure.
As our wants and greed have increased, it has destroyed the environment. Mining is one of the main causes of deforestation và is destroying mother Earth. Another cause of deforestation is wood harvesting or logging for domestic fuel (charcoal).
As we have learned about the causes of deforestation, let us move on khổng lồ the next segment – the effects of deforestation by reading the deforestation effects essay.
Effects of Deforestation
Deforestation has had many adverse effects on the planet. Significant effects of deforestation are climate change, soil erosion, global warming, wildlife extinction and underground water depletion. Besides, there are other consequences such as flooding, shrinking wildlife habitats, and reduced water quality. The essay on deforestation explains the negative effects of deforestation on the Earth.
The decrease in trees & vegetation can lead lớn an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases & other forms of pollution. Moreover, trees are essential & provide habitats for countless species, và they lose their habitats because of these human activities. They also store large amounts of carbon that can be used as a renewable energy source. When forests are destroyed, carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing khổng lồ climate change và global warming.
After learning about the adverse effects of deforestation by reading BYJU’S deforestation effects essay, let us move on lớn learn how lớn prevent deforestation.
Preventive Measures khổng lồ Avoid Deforestation
to maintain the ecological balance, we need khổng lồ take preventative measures khổng lồ avoid deforestation. Deforestation can be eradicated by taking the necessary steps to lớn save Earth. The government has lớn take strict kích hoạt against deforestation and encourage people to lớn plant more trees. This certainly helps in resolving the after-effects of the loss of trees. In addition, we can start growing plants at trang chủ and help our environment heal from the loss of trees & forests.
lớn conclude, deforestation is a major concern. Hence, we all must join hands in eradicating this issue & help our planet retain its ability to thrive. Provide the little ones with a deforestation essay pdf, and for more kids learning activities, visit BYJU’S website.
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What is deforestation? What is the definition of deforestation và why is deforestation happening? Let’s figure out what are the causes and effects of deforestation, as well as what solutions can be adopted lớn stop it. Bạn đang xem: Deforestation essay for children
What Is Deforestation?
Deforestation refers to lớn the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities. Greatly accelerated by human activities since 1960, deforestation has been negatively affecting natural ecosystems, biodiversity, & the climate. The UN’s Food và Agriculture Organization estimates the annual rate of deforestation khổng lồ be around 1.3 million km2 per decade.
The Causes of Deforestation: Why Is Deforestation Happening?
Multiple factors, either of human or natural origin, cause deforestation. Natural factors include natural forest fires or parasite-caused diseases which can result in deforestation. Nevertheless, human activities are among the main causes of global deforestation. According khổng lồ the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), the expansion of agriculture caused nearly 80% of global deforestation, with the construction of infrastructures such as roads or dams, together with mining activities và urbanization, making up the remaining causes of deforestation.
1. Agriculture is the Number 1 Cause of Deforestation (~80%)
Why is deforestation happening? According khổng lồ the FAO, agriculture causes around 80% of deforestation. And how does agriculture cause so much deforestation? According to lớn the same report, 33% of agriculture-caused deforestation is a consequence of subsistence agriculture – such as local peasant agriculture in developing countries.
Commercial or industrial agriculture (field crops và livestock) cause around 40% of forest loss – in the tìm kiếm for space khổng lồ grow food, fibers or biofuel (such as soybeans, palm oil, beef, rice, maize, cotton and sugar cane). It is also particularly interesting to note livestock is believed lớn be responsible for about 14% of global deforestation. The main reasons why have to vày with the large areas require both lớn raise livestock but also lớn grow its (soy-based) food.
2. Deforestation Caused By New Constructions (~15%)
The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation. More specifically, 10% of deforestation can be attributed lớn new infrastructures that serve the current human lifestyle in four main ways: transportation, transformation và energy generation.
On one hand, roads, rails, ports or airports have been built to lớn move all sorts of goods – from cereals và fruits khổng lồ spices, minerals or fossil fuels – either directly lớn trade centers or lớn transformation sites. So while at first there were only fruit trees, roads soon arrived to allow transporting fruit to lớn other regions. & while some goods were và are collected manually, others such as coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, but also meat, dairy or spirits, required the construction of large extraction, transportation and/or transformation infrastructures.
3. How Urbanization Is Causing Deforestation (~5%)
The populational shift that is leading people to lớn move from rural areas to urban areas is also contributing to deforestation (5%, according lớn FAO). This urban growth – in which 68% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050 – is leading to lớn an exponential growth of housing and consumption sites. And as cities become larger so they can host more people, they challenge the natural boundaries surrounding them, often leading to deforestation. This is one of the reasons why deforestation is happening.
Deforestation Effects – How Does Deforestation Affect The Environment?
Deforestation has many consequences for natural ecosystems and it poses serious problems to the resilience of the planet. Let’s take a look at the main effects of deforestation lớn better understand why it is bad for the planet.
1 – The Effects of Deforestation on Biodiversity
By destroying the forests, human activities are putting entire ecosystems in danger, creating natural imbalances, & putting Life at threat. The natural world is complex, interconnected, & made of thousands of inter-dependencies và among other functions, trees provide shade & colder temperatures for animals và smaller trees or vegetation which may not survive with the heat of direct sunlight. Besides, trees also feeding animals with their fruits while providing them with food và shelter they need khổng lồ survive.
Aren’t you yet sure about the importance of biodiversity for the planet’s balance và for human life? Then you should find out some examples of how Life is interconnected:
2 – The Effects of Deforestation on Local People and Their Livelihoods
Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people globally, one billion of whom are among the world’s poorest. This means there are many people depending on forests for survival & using them to hunt và gather raw products for their small-scale agriculture processes. But in developing countries such as Borneo, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, or Mexico, land tenure systems are weak. This allows big businesses lớn get these lands and use them for other ends, disrupting local people’s lives.
Locals then have to make one of two choices. They can decide to abandon “their” land và migrate somewhere else, avoiding conflict và embracing the challenge of a new different life. Or they can stay and work for the companies exploring it in remote plantations – often getting unfair wages và working under inhumane conditions. In some countries lượt thích Mexico, plantations’ owners are often forced to share their profits with local cartels khổng lồ keep their families alive and to avoid having their crops burned
Related: Is Avocado Production Sustainable? The Social Impact Of Cartels In Avocado Production
3 – Deforestation for Food May Lead khổng lồ Food Insecurity in the Future
Today, 52% of all the land used for food production is moderately or severely impacted by soil erosion. In the long term, the lack of healthy, nutritious soil can lead to lớn low yields and food insecurity.
4 – Soil Erosion is One of the Consequences of Deforestation
Deforestation weakens and degrades the soil. Forested soils are usually not only richer on organic matter, but also more resistant to lớn erosion, bad weather, and extreme weather events. This happens mainly because roots help fix trees in the ground và the sun-blocking tree cover helps the soil to slowly dry out. As a result, deforestation will probably mean the soil will become increasingly fragile, leaving the area more vulnerable lớn natural disasters such as landslides and floods.
5 – Deforestation Affects & Contributes to Climate Change
Deforestation also has a very strong contribution khổng lồ climate change. Why? Let’s remember trees absorb và store CO2 throughout their lives. If we speak about tropical forests, they hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon, according lớn WWF. And what’s worrying is that the destruction of these trees has two big negative side-effects.
Firstly, taking down trees means they’ll release back into the atmosphere the CO2 they were keeping. Secondly, fewer trees available means reducing the planet’s overall ability to lớn capture & store CO2. Both these effects negatively contribute to the greenhouse effect và to climate change. As a matter of fact, while food & agriculture account for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation is estimated to be responsible for 10-15% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Understanding Deforestation In Video
To understand the challenges of deforestation, kiểm tra this National Geographic video.
Where Is Deforestation Happening? Countries Most Impacted By Deforestation
Around the world, deforestation occurs mostly in the tropics where there are different types of forests are: from wet và hot rainforests to lớn others that chiến bại their leaves in the dry season and become woodlands. Some parts of the world have managed lớn protect their forests from deforestation while others have seen their forestal area decline.
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According lớn FAO’s report, 6 million hectares of land were lost from forest to lớn agriculture since 1990 in the tropical domain. These changes significantly differ but there are 3 important worldwide examples of deforestation: the Amazon rainforest, Indonesia và Borneo, and Africa.
The Effects Of Deforestation In The Amazon Rainforest
Brazil & the Amazon forest are also important (for the wrong reasons) deforestation areas worldwide. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the world’s largest forest hotspots, with huge biodiversity reserves. Its ability khổng lồ store carbon và produce oxygen makes it of the “lungs” of the planet.
Since the 1960s, the Amazon forest has been under threat, & nearly 760 000 km2 (around 20% of its original size) of forest area was lost. Before 1980-1990, large industrial projects such as dams, roads, or mines were the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon region, together with subsistence farming. However, for around thirty years, the causes of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest are changing. Why?
According to various reports on the subject (Greenpeace, FAO), livestock farming, including soya production, is responsible for about 70 to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon region. The development of intensive livestock production, combined with meat consumption increases in developed countries, is thus the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon forest.
The Effects Of Deforestation In Southeast Asia – Indonesia & Borneo
Indonesia & the island of Borneo are emblematic symbols of the global phenomenon of deforestation. This region in Southeast Asia is naturally one of the richest reserves of forest & biodiversity in the world. But at the same time, it is also one of the regions that have been suffering the most deforestation in recent decades. According to FAO, between 1990 and 2012 alone, Indonesia lost about 9 million hectares of its forests, largely due khổng lồ deforestation caused by palm oil.
One of the most important causes of deforestation in Indonesia & Borneo is unquestionably the production of palm oil. According to FAO, between 1990 và 2000, nearly 6 million hectares of palm oil plantations have gradually replaced Indonesian forests. This makes the palm oil industry one of the biggest contributors lớn deforestation in Southeast Asia – & it is expected to continue to lớn be so.
Due lớn pressure from NGOs (such as Greenpeace’s recent report) & new regulations, as well the expectations of consumers, the situation of the palm oil industry is slowly starting lớn improve. Certifications are starting lớn appear, including sustainable palm oil labels (that aim lớn prove it comes from certified forests and workers are fairly paid) like RSPO.
Indonesia now accounts for nearly 35% of the world’s sustainable palm oil production, although the sustainable palm oil market is still small (only 19% is certified). Despite industries still posing serious environmental problems, the media spotlight on this topic is beginning to lớn shift the lines.
Deforestation In Africa
Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation. In fact, it experiences more deforestation than Asia: about 2 million hectares of forest disappear each year in Africa. In Nigeria, for instance, over 90% of forests were lost because of practices that started in the colonial era. Woodcutting of forest reserves and the development of cocoa & palm oil plantations are among the main causes of deforestation in Africa, together with land cleaning for mining activities.
What Animals Are Affected By Deforestation?
Unconventional production practices that illegally take down trees & use dangerous chemicals threaten forests và wildlife. In this way, exploiting crops such as palm oil, wood, coffee or avocados has side effects that affect the environment và the surrounding ecosystems. It’s estimated that the Earth’s biodiversity is going extinct 0,1%, or aprox. 200 species per day, every year. Some of the animals under greatest threat are:
Elephants – especially in Sumatra & BorneoIndonesian tigers – the last surviving ones are struggling to do so on the island of Sumatra
How Can We Stop Deforestation? Solutions khổng lồ Deforestation
How can we stop deforestation? According lớn OECD, the human population is expected to continue khổng lồ increase and reach over 9 billion people by 2050. At the current rate of consumption, và with more people inhabiting Earth, the need for more space to grow food and extract natural resources is only likely to increase – depending, of course, on tech development such as artificial foods. As the demand for food or raw materials lượt thích cotton or minerals increases, so does the need lớn turn forests into farmland, pastureland, or mining spots. Under this broader perspective, how can we stop deforestation?
1 – Eating Less Meat Helps Stop Deforestation
How can we stop deforestation? According to lớn the WWF, livestock-caused deforestation is responsible for the discharge of 3.4% of current global emissions of carbon lớn the atmosphere every year. That’s why the late 2018 IPCC report stood out that reducing meat consumption by 90% is the single biggest way khổng lồ reduce global warming.
Some studies also show that without meat & dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by over 75%. In this way, reducing your meat consumption is also a big step to lớn stop not only deforestation but also global warming on a larger scale. Remember: a lot of space is needed to grow both animals & the food they consume, while other nutritious foods could be grown và result in larger food quantities using the same space. Why not saving meat for important occasions only?
2 – Consuming Less và More Consciously Helps Stop Deforestation
As consumers we can choose khổng lồ buy less industrial và transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil. Instead, we can go for a home-made approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet & our health.
However, if you are not willing to lớn make such changes – because they are time consuming – you can still consume more responsibly while keeping your lifestyle. Khổng lồ this regard, you can buy products from brands adopting eco-friendly business practices. When it comes to food, buying directly khổng lồ small farmers using agroforestry practices is the best choice for the planet.
3 – to lớn Stop Deforestation, When You Consume: Use, Use, Use
Your smartphone, your máy tính xách tay or your car, to name a few, are all made of aluminium, plastic and rare Earth minerals, among other materials. Khổng lồ get these, (just lượt thích foods lượt thích coffee or cacao) land was clear to build mining sites, roads and factories & where built lớn transport và transform them, powerplants provide them with energy…
The longer we use our products for, the higher the changes that demand doesn’t grow (it won’t likely decrease either – there are more people in the planet every day). Economically-speaking, if the demand doesn’t grow, production won’t grow either & it it is not necessary to clear more space to lớn extract natural resources và build human infrastructures might, deforestation (and carbon emissions from the industry) might just not increase.
4 – Leaving Fossil Fuels and Palm Oil Behind
Nearly half of UE’s imports of palm oil are used as biofuels – although proposals to ban subsidies are currently under debate. Since diesel và petrol are mixed with biofuels, choosing other transportation methods such as walking, cycling or car-sharing can be good ways of reducing palm oil importations (and production) và to help stop deforestation.
5 – Lead by Example and Spread Awareness
If you start adopting the behaviors mentioned above lớn help stop deforestation you can lead by your example. Teach your family, friends or colleagues what deforestation is và why it is happening, the causes & consequences of deforestation, and what solutions individuals, consumers & organizations can adopt.
A Broader Perspective: How Can We Stop Deforestation?
Apart from people’s individual contributions lớn stop deforestation, from a political và systemic perspective, other more direct & hands-on actions approaches can be taken:
1 – Fighting illegal logging và limiting logging in old-growth forests;
2 – Protecting forested areas by creating laws & policies that ensure forests are kept protected và restored & betting on land practices such as wildfire corridors;
3 – Reforming trade agreements, starting khổng lồ value differently products obtained through deforestation, và creating incentives for the use of sustainable forestry certifications such as FSC;
4 – Educating local communities và tourists about the need khổng lồ protect forests và develop & enroll in ecotourism activities.
What Are People Doing lớn Stop Deforestation?
What is being currently done vì stop deforestation? Efforts to lớn replant deforested areas are taking place every day. Unfortunately, some replanting is done with the goal of quickly growing trees to lớn be exploited in the short-term by the logging industry. These often consist of monotypic plantations (less resilient, more appealing to harmful environmental management practices) such as eucalyptus or pines. This is no small effort: there are 1.3 million km2 of these plantations on Earth, according lớn FAO.
At the same time, efforts to stop deforestation using more ecological management practices are also underway thanks to lớn forest protection NGOs, eco-villages, UN initiatives and workgroups, và national governments such as New Zealand’s.
Image credits to deforestation on Shutterstock, trees deforestation on Shutterstock và palm oil deforestation on Shutterstock
