DEFORESTATION: DAMAGING OUR HOME By: Ana Gabriela Orozco, Macarena Ramos, Nicolás Hidalgo, Matías Viteri and Nicolás Burgaentzle
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Editorial The biggest earth’s threat is the deforestation for the reasons of: the rainforests make the oxygen that we need for survival. The forests are logged the size of panama every year. The trees are logged by farmers for agriculture so they can be able to feed their families every day but they use a strategy of slash and burn where like in the name says they cut the trees and then burn it. People cut uncountable number of trees each year some of them acting illegally they build roads to get more access towards forests too. Not all the forests are deforested on an intentional way some of them are burned because people make fireworks on them. The most affected are the species that live on the trees like the birds or the squirrels. The destroying of trees makes plants stop growing since they need shadow and sun. Another cause of deforestation is the fossil fuel (petroleum) by cutting the trees to take the fuel out. Deforestation also leads to climate change climate change can lead to floods or to water evaporation and that leads to death in the ways of drowning and in the way of starving. People always say that they try to make the earth a healthier and safer place when they are the one who poison the earth the petroleum companies say that they are the medicine to earth`s sickness when they destroy them faster like farmers and logging companies.
By: MatĂas Viteri 2
Deforestation is a huge issue now days that is killing nature and the planet. Deforestation is when people cut down trees to make them paper, cardboard and more; also deforestation is more popular now because of their great demand on the market and companies. When people cut of a tree the tree falls and in transported to a factory, there the factory cleans up the trunks of the trees and then start to take the crust of the trunk apart, then it goes like in a trituration and it becomes paper. With that wood we can make chairs, tables, watches, toys and more stuff. Then it goes to our homes. Deforestation can be solved with the help of our community and all the people. Deforestation is a huge trouble the planet has and to know how deforestation starts there it must be causes for it. One cause can be poverty because for the economics of today people are losing their jobs and they need work, so to get money they work as deforesters in jungles, in the woods. Other cause it must be is the less of resources, paper is the most resource people have, but now there are lees resources to have paper so people now are cutting all the trees they see on the way and that is not ok. Other cause can be the ambitions because when people have lots of money they don’t stop it if it’s affecting someone. In conclusion the causes of deforestation are specific and brutal for us. Deforestation is a huge problem now and it has causes, by the other hand there are effects that it leaves in society and in the environment. For example, one effect deforestation leaves is the reduce of trees in the world and that changes the climate and various things. Other effect that deforestation leaves is the increment of carbon dioxide because with the trees hanged the co2 but with no trees that contaminates the air and it kills the environment. Other effects it leaves much worse, it is that animal that leave in trees stay without a home and a shelter and they need to emigrate to other part but the get, hunt, they are killed by humans and they stay dead because of the weather. In conclusion, deforestation leaves in every part where it was very bad effects on us. The causes and effects that deforestation leave in the environment is damaging the earths nature and we are not doing anything to stop the consume of it. So let’s make something about it to stop this phenom and help Mother Nature and take care of woods and jungles for animals, re-use (recycle) the paper and the plastic we use every day. By: Nicolás Burgaentzle
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Trees are very important for the environment and for us. Trees give oxygen, shelter and food for many animals. For us, trees give shelter, food and warmth. Also, when we chop down trees they give us wood for construction to make houses, for making many implements like tools, fuel to keep us warm, to cook things and even to smelt metals so we can make coins or any other material needed to construct something. Additionally, some other benefits that we have from trees is that we can have nuts and fruits that trees provide so we can eat, make medicine and make many dyes. In addition, clear forests provide good soil for growing crops, that is very beneficial for many farmers that plant crops because then they can sell the crops so they can have money for themselves. But, when time was passing by, the need of wood was increasing because the population was increasing too therefore, in the 1950s humans needed more and more wood to make things and to have enough resources to survive. So human created more advanced ways to cut trees faster. They created saws to cut faster and the deforestation rate increased drastically. Because of this, many animals and plants had been extinct or in danger of extinction. For example: tigers 3,200 left, mountain gorilla 689 left, javan rhinoceros less than 60 left, cooksonia extinct plant and cordaites extinct plant.
By: Nicolรกs Hidalgo 4
Deforestation is a big global issue that affects people and the environment. This global issue is mainly caused because people cut trees for different uses such as for cooking and heating. Also some trees get burned in forest fires mostly caused by humans. However, something very important to take in mind is that people can’t do these actions without the help of technology. Technology has an important role in deforestation because it is in all the equipment’s used to harm the trees and make them disappear. Even though the equipment’s that are used to cut or damage trees are not a lot they make a destructive change in the environment. The technology used in order to cut a tree is very different that the one that is needed to start a fire. In order to cut trees a chainsaw is the most known and used element because it is not complicated to use and it cuts the tree easily. However when this didn’t existed yet, people used an ax’s to be able to cut a tree. On the other hand, even though this equipment doesn’t seem to be able to destroy so many trees it can. People believe that if only a few trees are cut down it would not affect the environment, but every “little” sum up to a lot. So that demonstrates that even using equipment that seems not harmful and not capable of doing such a big it still creates deforestation which brings a lot of consequence with it. Since trees are a very important part on the environment the effects of having fewer trees are very noticeable and big too. First of all, forests help carbon dioxide and other gases to migrate so if the size of forests decreases that means that we would have more of those gases close to us. Also if there are no trees that anchor fertile soil then erosion can occur affecting the land. Deforestation would also affect the balance of the local water cycle because trees have a very important role in this cycle. Trees also help to keep a balance between water on land and in the atmosphere, once degradation occurs that balance breaks and what it causes are changes in precipitation and river flow. It’s noticeable that if the amount of trees that we have decreases, even just a little bit, the environment would be affected and therefore we will too. It is very important for us to know how harmful deforestation can be and most of these effects are already happening. That’s why people should know how to use technology appropriately and for good causes not to affect the environment and our planet.
By: Macarena Ramos 5
Deforestation is a global issue, which is when people cut down trees. “Forests currently cover about 20-30 percent of the world’s land mass” (National Geographic). Which is why, “about half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared” (FAO). Since 1600, 90 percent of forests have been removed. In addition, forests remain just 22 percent of its original amount. Deforestation is very common in many places, such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, some parts of Africa, and Eastern Europe. However, deforestation is more popular in the country of Brazil. This global issue begins in Brazil, because of the increment of people and the need to cut trees for human needs. For instance, people cut down trees, for the creation of paper, the construction of houses, the need of wood, because trees provide and supply wood for many things, such as for cardboard boxes and paper. Moreover, trees are being lost because of the need of land-space for growing crops and producing cereals and food (agriculture). For example, you can clearly see in the graph below, that in 1991, there was very little deforestation, however, in 1995 deforestation increased a lot, as well as in the year of 2004, but in 2006, the influence of soy prices on deforestation, helped the preservation of tees, because even though, the cutting down of trees continued, this factor helped this global issue decrease.
Even though, Brazil is the main country in which deforestation goes on, other countries are also victims of this terrible and horrible global issue. As a result, China, India and the U.S.A planted a lot of trees in order to stop deforestation. Which is why, it is very important to stop and prevent deforestation, so that we can have a better live, because remember that trees play a very important role in our daily lives, since they provide us with many benefits, like giving us oxygen so that we can breathe. By: Ana Gabriela Orozco 6
Works Cited Deforestation." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. "List of Extinct Plants." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. "The History of Deforestation." History Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. "The History of Deforestation." EHow. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. Cesareo, Kerry, and Linda K. Walker. "Deforestation." World Wildlife. WWF, 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation>. "FAO.org." FAO - News Article: World Deforestation Decreases, but Remains Alarming in Mongabay.com. Rhett Butler, 1994-2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
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2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. Szalay, Jessie. "Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects." Livescience. Techmedia Network, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. "Environment." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
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