The Environmental Impacts Of Humans : Impacting The Environment

Over half of the world’s forests have been destroyed in the last 10,000 years. An extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property could be thought to help “benefit” the economic or environmental aspects of daily life, but the society is clueless on the harm it is causing. Nearly half of the Earth's original forest cover has already been lost and each year an additional 32 million acres are destroyed. Our world is facing the greatest extinction crisis since the fall of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. The future of many of Earth's plants and animals will be determined within the next few decades. Hopefully, it comes as no great surprise to you that deforestation is a major problem in many areas of the world, both in terms of

However, forests around the world are under threat from deforestation, jeopardizing these benefits. Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change. This impacts people’s livelihoods and threatens a wide range of plant and animal species. Some 46-58 thousand square miles of forest are lost each year, which is equivalent to 36 football fields every minute.

Deforestation is the destruction of a wide area of forest land into a cleared land that is used for a variety of reasons. The impact on the environment from cutting down, burning and damaging forests is very detrimental and there are severe consequences for the environment and future generations because of deforestation. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization approximately 7.3 million hectares of forests are being destroyed per year in the world (Bradford, 2015). In this essay, I will explore the impact that deforestation on the environment and I will also look at the actions that are being taken to prevent deforestation. There are various reasons why deforestation is occurring despite its negative effects on the environment. Deforestation can cause very serious environmental problems such as climate change, flooding, loss of habitats as well as others.

Three to six billion trees are cut down each and every year! Deforestation is a huge problem in the rainforests. Because these forests are home to much of the Earth’s species of life. Covering 30 percent of our land forests provide homes, protection, and oxygen for humans and other wildlife in the forests. There are 7.125 billion people that count on the benefits provided by the forest, which is: food, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter. If something isn 't done soon to reduce our carbon footprint, we will not have forests of any type to soak up the carbon dioxide(CO2) in the atmosphere.

In our world deforestation rate is getting higher day by day. In fact, the rate of

Did You Know that Deforestation is one of the leading causes of animal extinction? During Deforestation, "50-100 Species are lost each day as a result of forest loss", states Laura Simar, Author of the article "...Devastating Facts of Deforestation". It isn't worth our time. Industries should not Cut Down Trees and Forests because they provide a way of life, not only for animals, but for humans too. Forests Provide a way of life for everything revolving around it.

Human Impact on the Environment I. Human Population and Industrialization A. By-products of industrialization 1. Industrialization is driven by energy consumption from coal, petroleum, and natural gas a. Fossil fuels were formed by decomposition and pressure on remains of plants and animals millions of years ago b. Oil is the fuel most widely used, both as starting material for making gasoline and for other products 2. Pollution is any environmental change that adversely affects the lives and health of living things a.

Every single year humans cut down at least 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) of forest land. While cutting trees down allows for animals to graze and urbanization, all people should know how deforestation affects them and the world because many species of animals and natural medicines could be gone forever, there would be little to no oxygen filtration, and all rainforests could disappear in less than 100 years. As humans and animals, in general, they all require oxygen which is filtered by trees and plants but if they are being cleared so rapidly and ultimately harming the atmosphere when cut, people should not be slashing and occasionally burning these nonrenewable resources (51 Facts About Deforestation).

Throughout history, humans have modified their environment to suit their needs, such as housing, agriculture, and industry, but we are now seeing major changes to the environment on a scale not witnessed before. The greenhouse effect has run rampant through man’s use of fossil fuels and is causing major changes to the planet, many unseen by people not directly affected. Human overuse of dirty energies that produce CO2 has led to shrinking Arctic ice and warmer temperatures that cause disruption for the animals and people who live there. Glaciers, in places such as Iceland and Canada, and the Arctic ice sheet are melting, breeding seasons are changing, and people and animals are being displaced (Greene et. al., 2008). Some changes have been

Deforestation in tropical rainforests adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all of the cars and trucks combined. According to the World Carfree Network (WCN), cars and trucks take up about fourteen percent of global carbon emissions combined, while deforestations takes up to more than twenty percent. The reason that burning and cutting down trees is bad for the climate is that trees release the toxic that they’re storing into the atmosphere when they are cut down, therefore, contributing to global warming. According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), thirty-two million acres of tropical rainforests were cut down between the year 2000 and 2009, yet, the pace of deforestation is still increasing. “Unless we change the present system that rewards forest destruction, forest clearing will put another 200 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere in coming decades [...]” (Environmental Defense Fund). Tropical forests help adjust rainfall and prevent both floods and droughts. Limiting deforestation is not only a beneficial action against global warming, it also can make important benefactions to saving biodiversity and supporting a stable world.

to be grown trees have to be cut down and I have explained the effects

As the human race grows ever larger, more attention is being brought to how we are affecting the world we live in. More people are being born everyday, and our race is using more resources than ever before. Because of this rate of consumption, the list of concerning environmental impacts from humans is incredibly long and disheartening. But a few concerns are at the forefront, and they must be acknowledged and managed carefully. The fate of the human race, as well as so many other species, depends on how we handle two things: deforestation and pollution.

Nowadays, deforestation becomes a big environmental issue around the world since forests play critical roles in many aspects for the life of all the living things. (World Wildlife Fund) There are many factors that will result in deforestation such as “fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change” (World Wildlife Fund). Human activities would be the main cause of deforestation. (Ronca, 2008, p.1) World Wildlife Fund states deforestation is a concern especially in tropical rainforests since rainforest is an essential ecosystem, which provides habitats for much of the world’s biodiversity. “Amazon destruction at more than 360 square miles (932 square kilometers) in just one month”(Ronca, 2008, p.1). Deforestation can have large impact on animals, which raises the problems of habitat loss, increasing threats to death and reducing biodiversity. (Environment Insider)

Deforestation effects the environment because it causes species extinction and endangerment. Ecologists are certain that a major percentage of Earth’s biodiversity is located in the rainforests. Human development is quickly changing the habitats in tropical forests for agricultural use and settlements. Plants and species are prone to being endangered. (“Endangered Species”). Due to humans’ activity of deforestation, species’ habitat are being interrupted and destroyed. Species that live in the rainforest face the heartbreaking risk of becoming endangered and later leading to extinction. Humans are destroying tropical rainforest to create land for agriculture, without comprehending that the environment is being

Deforestation is a commonly known environmental issue across our world today, yet still has a long posed threat to our earth. Deforestation is a permanent process of humans removing a forest or stand of trees where the land is later converted to a non-forest use. The forest covers over 30% of our planets land, and the ecosystems they create are essential for life. Not not only do forests produce vital oxygen but provides homes and shelter for people and wildlife. Forests provide a habitat for over 80% of the animals living on land and even for a large majority of humans, who rely on rainforests for their daily food. In addition they provide protection from flooding and sandstorms. But, deforestation is utterly diminishing them, at an extremely fast rate. It is estimated that 4 to 6,000 rainforest species go extinct each year.