We, as humans, have made some pretty stupid choices in our lifetimes, and these choices, whether we realize it or not, can have a great impact on our surroundings. One of our growing problems, or what D. Knuffke & Memphis calls, 'human ecological stupidity,' is Deforestation.
Deforestation is not simply cutting down 1 or 2 trees, it's destroying the Earth's forest in huge proportions. If we continue at this rate, in one-hundred years the rainforests will have completely disappeared.
Deforestation has a myriad of negative impacts on the environment. For instance, removing the trees also removes the habitats of the animals. Seventy percent of land animals and plants live in these forests, so removing their homes makes it almost impossible to survive. Deforestation also impacts the climate change. Without the trees to protect the forest's moist soil, it will rapidly dry out. Additionally, through transpiration, trees provide water vapor from their leaves to the atmosphere. Without this, former forest areas soon become deserts. The trees also absorb greenhouse gases, so if we keep cutting trees down, these harmful gases will linger in the atmosphere and eventually accelerate the severity of global warning.
So why is this 'stupidity' resuming if we know and have seen the consequences? You guessed it; money. Among the myriad of things like logging operations, urban sprawl, and especially agriculture and pastures for cattle grazing, our rainforests don't stand a chance.
How can we stop deforestation, you say? One solution is to use crop rotation. Instead of clearing a completely new field for one crop, rotate the different crops in the same field. Not only will this save the forests, it will also give the soil a season or two to replenish the nutrients used in one crop while the other is planted. Another solution is to spread the word about tree plantations. Since the old deforestation sites are being used, we can plant what are called tree plantations to try and put new forests on the Earth. These tree plantations are spreading, but they aren't enough to replace the world's forested land. Another solution would be to cut down on the use of paper products and/or recycle old products. This would decrease the amount of trees needed, therefore decreasing the amount of forests being cut down!
In short, stop the stupidity! Lets help educate the loggers and farmers who think that deforestation of our rainforests is the solution.
Here's a video, too!
For more information, visit: /http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/
