Okay, it seems like we and the animals that live on this planet are going to die soon, but NO ONE CARES. It’s not a big deal at all that the forest now only covers 30% of the planet. It’s not a big deal at all that our forests are being been cut down 7.3 million hectares each year. Some of you reading this blog may shrug and say, “How much is that anyway?”
Well…. A LOT! 7.3 million hectares is actually almost the size of Panama!! If we don’t do something soon, we can kiss our current planet goodbye and maybe move to live on the smallest planet, Pluto. (Actually, Pluto’s not a planet, but whatever.)
For some of you who got lost into this rant and don’t have a clue what I am talking about, then allow me to clarify. Deforestation means clearing large amounts of forest, and we mostly cleared the forests because of agriculture. Farmers cut down trees in order to provide more space for planting crops and grazing livestock. Deforestation leads to habitat loss and the extinction of many species. Since 70% of the animals in this world live in the forest, this is very critical that we preserve them.
Deforestation also causes climate change. The soil is usually moist, but with trees out of the picture, there won’t be any trees protecting the soil from the sun and preventing erosion. Dry soil increases the probability of flooding and inability to farm properly. Trees help absorb greenhouse gases; therefore cutting down trees will cause greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere increase, further contributing to global warming.
Currently, there has been really depressing media attention regarding the deforestation. The size of the Amazon rainforest has dropped 18% during the past 12 months. 4,848 square kilometers were cleared between August 2013 to July 2014. Lentini,the Brazilian coordinator for the Amazon program for the World Wide Fund for Nature, wants deforestation in Brazil to be reduced to 3,900 square kilometers per year by 2020. Hopefully, we all can help contribute to the changes even if it’s little. Little changes are better than no changes at all, right? :) If you want to have a long life, want to see your children grow, want to see your their smiles, then you should start doing something to preserve Mother Nature. Today, you are lucky to live and have your parents see you grow, but will your children have the same privilege?
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