Introduction to deforestation
- 1. Introduction to Deforestation: Deforestation is a growing global problem with far-reaching environmental and economic consequences, including some that may not be fully understood until it is too late to prevent them basically; deforestation is clearing earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area. Trees supply oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and hold down the soil from washing away or making landslides. The destruction and cutting down of forests is done for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families. They clear land for farming, farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Also for mining, making roads and building bridges, and grazing of cattle. The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. All this deforestation causes increased atmospheric CO2 levels, a factor in global warming. Deforestation wipes out habitats, disrupts ecosystems and leads to the potential extinction of many species. While some people may receive immediate economic benefits from activities that result in deforestation, those short-term gains cannot offset the negative long-term economic losses.