What You Didn’t Know About Deforestation
Written by： Allen Lu、Jasper Yao、Jason Zhang、Gary Pang
11 years. That’s the time left before humans do irreparable harm to the environment. 11 years until coastal cities begin flooding, fertile earth becomes sand, and the entire world is sent into a downward spiral. Significant damage is done by deforestation! Trees help regulate the Earth’s water cycle. They clean the air by trapping dust and absorbing pollution. They store carbon. They stabilize the soil. They even provide medicines and so much more! Even if you don’t believe in climate change, believe in trees because they strengthen communities and grow the economy! Trees are so important, yet humans continue to cut them down without a second thought. According to a study by The Guardian in 2018, every second that you have spent reading this, a soccer field size chunk of the forest is lost. But that was 2 years ago! Imagine what is happening now. So why? What’s causing deforestation and how does it affect you?
Some commonly known causes of deforestation are the production of wood products and palm oil. But what may surprise you is that cattle farming and soybean farming are even larger contributors to the growing deforestation problem. The cattle farming industry is extremely inefficient at utilizing land, resulting in clearing much more forests than required to raise cattle. Currently 6.7 million acres of lost forest per year can be attributed to cattle farming! That’s equivalent to 3,500,000 million soccer fields, per year! According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations), 15% of the trees that have been cut or burnt down for clearing out lands that can be used for cattle ranches, and cattle farming accounts for 80% of the current deforestation. As a result, trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, are cut down while cattle stocks, which produce carbon dioxide, are raised. This leads to an accelerated greenhouse effect and causes the temperature of the environment (as well as sea level) to rise. At some point, coastal cities will be underwater.
The production of soybean, 70% of which is fed to livestock (cattle), is responsible for 460 square kilometers of deforestation per year. Therefore, reducing the demand for beef will affect both industries and reduce the rate of deforestation.
Palm oil production is a third major cause of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, which are covered by gigantic areas of tropical rainforests. Due to the increasing global demand for palm oil, it has become an essential part of the local economy with more than 3 million people working on plantations under harsh conditions. Even though palm oil production is causing deforestation, any attempt to limit the palm plantations could face strong opposition from the local communities and the government.
The effects of deforestation will be devastating on the planet, which will also have a direct impact on you! Although extremely important, let's put aside for a second the extinction of indigenous species resulting in the loss of biodiversity and the negative impact of deforestation on the local people and their livelihoods. Let’s just focus on you and how deforestation comes full cycle.
Today, 52% of all land used for food production is moderately to severely impacted by soil erosion. In the long term, the lack of healthy, nutritious soil will lead to low yields and a rise in food insecurity. Forested soils are usually not only richer in organic matter, but also more resistant to erosion, bad weather, and extreme weather events. Without this soil we will experience an increase in landslides, floods, and droughts. These natural disasters are amplified by deforestation, causing billions of dollars in property damage. Deforestation also has a very strong correlation to climate change. Cutting down trees means they’ll release carbon back into the atmosphere as they break down. Additionally, fewer trees reduces the planet’s overall ability to capture and store carbon dioxide. The rising global temperature is already raising the ocean level. These changes will displace millions of people from their homes, potential even yours.
Overall, deforestation is driven by people’s demand for beef and palm oil. The problem is caused by poor practices and policies of a few industries. But the effects of deforestation are severe and global. Think about the overwhelming devastation you and the world will face when deforestation becomes an irreversible problem! You can contribute to fixing this problem now by simply learning about the situation and taking a few easy actions like eating less beef.
