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Sarah Morris

Professor Timmins
Natural Disasters 1700
July 16, 2014
Deforestation

Before man urbanized the world, the world was abundant with animals and forests but
because of a drastic industrialization of the world, that amount is depreciating. Before
this drastic change happened the part of the world that consisted of rainforests was at 14
percent. That percentage has now dropped to 6 percent and that amount has been
estimated to be gone within the next forty years if that rate continues. In researching
deforestation, I found that the rot cause of deforestation is to make way for new
urbanization, like houses, businesses, and cities.

When you take a look at the world around you, most people see big cities, housing areas,
businesses, and one can think to themselves how beautiful theyre but what about the
natural wonders of the earth. Yes, people of the world need places to live and some cities
are unbelievably amazing but when youre cutting so much out of the world that it is
becoming extinct, there is a problem. In this age there is one thing that defines what
everyone works for in life and it can make or break you and that is money. In our
society money is one thing that everyone is striving for and will strive at nothing to
obtain, no matter the cost.
There is not only one country that is solely guilty of deforestation because it is occurring
all over the world. The country with the highest rate of deforestation is Brazil. Although
Brazil has always for the most part had the highest rate of deforestation, for the past
four years the rate of deforestation had been declining there, until last year. Last year, it
is reported that there was a 28 percent increase since the following year and there has
been some controversy on that subject and people are pointing fingers at the
government and the new laws that were passed on the issue.





In respect to deforestation, Brazil is not the only country in the world where it is a
problem. After Brazil some of the countries that amount to 60 percent of the worlds
deforestation (including Brazil) are Canada, Indonesia, China, Russia, and Congo. These
are only the places with the highest rates of deforestation. Deforestation is a worldwide
issue and does not only exist in these areas.

There are a few reasons that deforestation is occurring and it all ties back to human
wants. Forests are being destroyed to urbanize areas, for cash crops, and timber. People
sweep off thousands of acres of forest for the soul purpose to obtain money. By
urbanizing an area and putting buildings in for businesses and houses in for people to
buy, these people are able to make money that way. But it is not all one sided either,
humans need jobs, and they need businesses to open up. Constantly every day the earth
is becoming over populated, we need new cities for people to live in.
Moreover, a different reason for deforestation is that workers need to harvest the
lumber and sell it as resources. The paper people uses every day, comes from trees and
to make enough money to keep their businesses afloat, they need to sell a lot.
Deforestation is seen to many as horrible but what most people dont realize is that they
are also badging on some of the items you use every day.
Some things that can be done to help bring down the rates of deforestation are more
strict laws. With all countries support, the fights outcome against illegal deforestation
might change and that will result in the support of the preservation of the worlds
rainforests. When there is a divide and deforestation is not taken as a serious crime,
then the bigger picture is not looked at and only selfish innuendoes come into play.
Anything in moderation should help substantially and will eventually bring down the
rate of deforestation dramatically. In Brazil for instance this last year had a 28 percent
increase in its deforestation and people are saying it is because of the new laws in Brazil
on the matter. If the political leaders do not support the ban on deforestation, then why
would their people support either?
If businesses in the United States and other countries took a stand against deforestation
and refused to purchase goods that are coming from endangered rainforests that would
force the rate down. Luckily there are people that are protesting and working hard
against deforestation, such as Green Peace USA, and Women Eco Warriors. These
organizations hold campaigns and online protests to try and help preserve the worlds
forests. Theyre constantly trying to raise money to help our society and try and get
people to try and help as well.

In todays modernized world, it is hard to sometimes tell what is right and what is not,
especially with an issue as deforestation; however I feel that there comes a time when
enough is enough. The world is beautiful place full of wonders and amazing forestry,
oceans, landscapes, and animals. Replacing these amazing features of our world for
materialistic items is unjust, yes there are resources that we do need and we have to
take advantage of but when does that become too much?
With the steady decline of the worlds rainforests, the rainforests are sure to disappear
completely in the not too distant future. At that point all of those resources will be gone
and all of the benefits that these rainforests have will be gone. Putting a stop to illegal
deforestation will help preserve the natural beauties of this world and put a stop to
greedy people that are only concerned about their own wellbeing.








Works Cited

Butler, Ray. Brazil. Mongobay.com. web 2014 July.
Foley, James. Deforestation Up 28% On the Year. Nature World News. Web 2014
July.
Greenpeace. Solutions to Deforestation.Greenpeaceusa.com. Web 2014 July.
Subhrendu Pattanayak. Deforestation, malaria, and poverty: a call for transdisciplinary
research to support the design of cross-sectoral policies. Sustainability: Science,
Practice, and Policy. Web 2014 July.
World Preservation Foundation. Deforestation Statistics. World Preservation
Foundation.org. Web 2014 July.

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