Environmental Impacts of Deforestation Institutional AffiliationStudent’s NameCourse Name/NumberInstructor’s nameDate Submitted?I. Introduction Deforestation is the clearing of virgin forests, or deliberate removal or destruction of trees and other shrubberies for commercial, housing, firewood, or agricultural use without replanting (reforesting) and without giving time for the forest to restore itself (Richards, 2002). Trees have been utilized for shelter, burned for warmth, made into paper products, used as energy sources, and a myriad of other things.
However, when trees and vegetation are lost, it distorts the balance of the entire ecosystem – the carbon cycle, the hydro cycle, and a decline in species variety. As asserted by the EPA, a predominant cause of human-caused global warming is deforestation, particularly, the clearing of tropical forests, second to the burning of fossil fuels. These disrupt the carbon cycle and consequently the hydro cycle. Deforestation causes a decline in species diversity as it deprives species of their native habitat, causing them to migrate or adapt, but the dire outcome is extinction.
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II. DiscussionThe Carbon Cycle involves the transaction of Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen between animals and plants (Costa, 2009). Humans excrete Carbon Dioxide through respiration whereas plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis.
Conversely, humans require oxygen for survival while plants require Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis. This cycle is perfect in that; it maintains an equal concentration of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. When deforestation occurs, the number of trees decreases; consequently, the rate of Carbon Dioxide absorption gradually decreases because photosynthesis occurrence also decreases (Costa, 2009). This phenomenon then causes the increase of the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. In sum, forests have high rates of productivity and an enormous capacity to absorb Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. If these are replaced with less productive ecosystems, then removal of carbon in the atmosphere through photosynthesis will be reduced, thus disrupting the Carbon Cycle.
The Water Cycle involves the continuous movement of water above, on, and below the earth surface (Foley, 2005). Maintaining a constant balance in the water cycle, alternatively known as the hydrolic cycle, is critical for the wellness of the earth and its inhabitants. The disruption of the Water Cycle causes global changes, such as climate change, that disrupt the state of living things. Trees store vast amounts of water, particularly in rainforests which are deforested the most.
When trees are cut down, the water stored in them is lost. Plants and trees contribute significantly to the water cycle because they extract groundwater from the soil and return it into the atmosphere (Bradford, 2015), Therefore, when trees are cut down, water is not released into the atmosphere, and the balance of the water cycle is lost. Deforestation contributes greatly to the global decline of species diversity. As stated by the National Geographic Society, seventy percent of Earth’s animals and plants have lived, or live in forests where indigenous fauna and flora are being deprived of their native habitats.
Species deprived of their native habitats may, conceivably, migrate or adapt. But the direr outcome is extinction. Deforestation depletes biodiversity by separating contiguous areas of rainforest from each other, destroying natural habitat, interfering with plant reproduction (Lennox, 2016). Fewer species in an area means a less biologically diverse environment. III. Conclusion From the above three topics, I feel like as a society, with such technological advancements, are incapable of finding better alternatives than solely depending on deforestation.
The fastest solution is stopping the cutting down of trees, but financial realties make this almost impossible. A more likely solution is ensuring that trees remain intact after deforestation. Individuals should plant more trees in place of the ones cut down; this restores forests and maintains the balance of the water cycle.
Another solution is eliminating the need for lumber, paper, charcoal, and export (the primary reasons for deforestation). Hemp products are more reliable and sustainable than most tree products like paper. Using hemp plants to cover our industrial needs can drastically reduce the need for deforestation and therefore return the earth and water cycle to a healthier state.
