Environment

Can you imagine million acres of rainforests being destroyed every minute and second that ticks by? Between year 1991 and 2000, the total area of lost forest rose from 415,000 square kilometres to an astonishing 587,000 square kilometres. That is a staggering amount isn’t it? However, mankind has only taken little action against this exigent problem. Deforestation is a controversial topic that’s not in the limelight enough for us to understand what the big deal is, which is a problem. Conserving the rainforest is not something that only “tree-huggers” and environmentalists should be concerned about, it’s an issue that all of society needs to become more aware of. The repercussions of deforestation affect the species within the forests as well as individuals who live far from it. I have no qualms about conserving our rainforests. Just imagine how many poor animals are endangered and are quivering with desperation to survive. The developing environmental ramifications of this deforestation will haunt humans if it is not confronted immediately, such as accelerated global warming, kill and endanger other animals; furthermore, it can affect indigenous people.

First and foremost, Deforestation accelerates and intensifies global warning. Mature forests store enormous quantities of carbon, both in the trees and vegetation itself and within the soil in the form of decaying plant matter. Forests in areas such as the Congo and the Amazon represent some of the world's largest carbon stores on land. However, when forests are logged or burnt, that carbon is released into the atmosphere, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and accelerating the rate of climate change. Environmentalists claim that so much carbon is released that they contribute up to one-fifth of global man-made emissions, more than the world's entire transport sector. Hence I strongly agree that we should conserve our rainforests. Deforestation can release