Environmental Controversy Paper – Deforestation

Deforestation is defined as the cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people (Cambridge University Press, November 8, 2018). These forests are facing multiple threats due to unsustainable economic development, and it is an issue in places such as the Amazon. According to Code REDD, The timeline for deforestation had started in 1990, which was a time that all of the natural forests were still there. Between 1990 and 2010, the deforestation rates averaged around 13 million hectares a year, which mostly happens in tropical areas (Code REDD).

These rates are extremely high and are becoming excessively dangerous to the tropical areas. Deforestation is a serious issue and clearly needs immediate attention before all of the forests get destroyed by it, which can eventually happen if the issue isn't taken under control. The environmental factors are as follows: mining, paper, overpopulation, logging, agriculture expansion & livestock ranching, and so much more (Holland, 2017). The short term effects of deforestation include things such as increased soil erosion and disruption of water cycles (Ho, 2014). The long term effects of deforestation include loss of species, climate change, acidic oceans, and the disturbance of the natives (Bradford, 2018).Stakeholders (Pro): Vision Launch is involved in the issue of deforestation, and they have a list of the pros and cons of deforestation. I will mainly talk about the pros in this section. One of their arguments for deforestation is that it gives workers jobs, and they back this up by saying that forest clearers have no other job opportunities available and that this provides them with the money needed (Lombardo, 2015). I'm not going to disagree with the fact that deforestation is part of an industry that has a lot of money involved, but there are ways to get jobs without having to clear forests.

People who participate in the deforestation industry usually do it for the money and supposed short term benefits, but it is really selfish and capitalistic. Another pro that Vision Launch lists for deforestation is that trees removed from forests help provide timber and paper products (Lombardo, 2015). I can understand why there are people in favor of deforestation, because the products that come from it can help benefit them. Deforestation still causes more harm than good, and none of the pros and benefits are going to convince me otherwise. Vision Launch is involved in the problem because they write about world issues and the people trying to solve them, with the purpose of raising awareness and getting others to do the same. Their motto is Be The Change, which is fitting to their name because it is like launching a vision for the future.Stakeholders (Con): The Union of Concerned Scientists is involved in the issue of deforestation, and they are completely against it. One of their arguments against deforestation is the idea that tropical forests are needed to help stabilize our climate. Their reasoning for this is pretty solid because these forests give out oxygen for people to breathe, in addition to extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to store carbon more efficiently. Without tropical forests, our planet wouldn't be able to regulate carbon properly and is highly likely to make global warming worse. (Union of Concerned Scientists [UCS]).

Can you imagine what Earth would be like if its atmosphere was overwhelmed with carbon? We would pretty much be dead because of the intensity of hot weather and being unable to breathe properly. Another argument that they make is that there are current solutions that exist for the purpose of reducing deforestation. They back this up with evidence that tropical countries are taking immediate action to reduce deforestation. These countries are helping to reduce deforestation related emissions by a good amount, and this helps fight off the pollution that is happening there (UCS). This is a good start because it ensures that the effects of deforestation will decrease by quite a bit. The Union of Concerned Scientists is involved in the problem because they come up with solutions that they implement in order to help important problems with our planet. They are very involved with the planet and environment, and work hard to make the world a better place.My position: I stand by my position, which is one that is against deforestation because I find it to be an unnecessary evil that needs to be stopped. I do care about the environment, which is why I am not a supporter of deforestation. One of the reasons to stop deforestation is that trees are needed for breathing. They help absorb carbon dioxide and toxic chemicals, giving us oxygen in return (Earth Eclipse). We all need oxygen to breathe, and forest trees are a major source of it so they need to be protected as much as they can! Cutting down trees just isn't necessary, and I feel that doing so takes away the beauty of nature. All organisms need to breathe, and having less trees means that we will ultimately suffocate as a result of less oxygen! I wouldn't want to see people and nature suffering form lack of oxygen, and neither would you! To sum things up for my first argument, I would like to say that having less/no oxygen in the environment will lead to deaths and less thriving communities.

References

Code REDD Empowering People, Preserving Forests, and Protecting Wildlife. (n.d.). Retrieved

from http://www.coderedd.org/about-redd/deforestation/

Ho, K. (2014, March 26). Deforestation: Causes, Effects and Solutions. Retrieved from

Holland, E. (2017, June 12). Deforestation-Causes, Effects, and Solutions. Retrieved from

https://futurism.media/deforestation-causes-effects-and-solutions

In Cambridge Dictionary Online, retrieved November 8, 2018, from

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/deforestation

Lombardo, C. (2015, August 12). Pros and Cons of Deforestation. Retrieved from

http://visionlaunch.com/pros-and-cons-of-deforestation/

Ten Reasons to Reduce Tropical Deforestation. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/solutions/stop-deforestation/protecting-trees-protecting.html

https://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/solid-reasons-stop-deforestation-you-need-know-today.html

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