Deforestation

Sienna Mora '24

Naturally, industrialization rates have rapidly increased with our ever-changing economy and surges of modernization. Deforestation removes or thins forests entirely, as the land is typically cleared for mining, crops, or grazing (National Geographic Deforestation). Hana Ritchie and Max Roser write in their article Deforestation and Forest Loss “The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. (Deforestation and Forest Loss, n.d). The rapid surge of industrialization throughout the twentieth century explains the uptick in deforestation rates; however, it is important to note that deforestation can often be attributed to natural fires (Death In the Forest, n.d). They continue to write, “The world lost 1.5 billion hectares of forest over that period. That’s an area 1.5-times the size of the United States.” (Ritchie and Roser, 2021). While from an agricultural and industrial standpoint, deforestation efficiently clears space for production, the harmful effects on our environment outweigh the means of production for industrialization, which continues to be acknowledged and fought for by environmentalists today.

While deforestation is often driven by industrialization, another significant source is natural fires. Natural wildfires have strikingly increased throughout the twenty-first century due to climate change. The NOAA writes, “Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States during the last two decades.” (Wildfire Climate Connection, 2022). Furthermore, while the direct causes or drivers of deforestation may vary in natural versus industrial, wildfires are still significantly attributed to the increasing temperatures caused by human production and CO2 emissions.

Soil erosion caused often by deforestation has many harmful effects on various species, ecosystems, and regions today. When forests are either burned or cut down, thousands of animals lose their natural habitats and the necessary structures of stability or security. Firstly, animals lose food security through soil erosion in the surrounding environment. World Wildlife writes, “Without plant cover, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. The agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the soil and many of these plants, such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat, can actually worsen soil erosion. And as land loses its fertile soil, agricultural producers move on, clear more forest and continue the cycle of soil loss.” (Soil Erosion and Degradation, 2023). Soil erosion attributes to the increasing rates of desertification, which is a direct result of human exploitation of our environment’s ecosystems today (Soil Erosion and Degradation, 2023). Soil erosion is a global issue affecting animals and communities nearby the region. Mongabay explains that “the loss of trees, which anchor the soil with their roots, causes widespread erosion throughout the tropics. Only a minority of areas have good soils, which after clearing, are quickly washed away by the heavy rains. Thus crop yields decline, and the people must spend income to import foreign fertilizers or clear additional forest.” (Soil Erosion and Its Effects, 2012). Soil erosion has negative environmental harms and agricultural. Death in the Forest writes, “Deforestation reduces the ability of the remaining forest to withstand natural disasters such as fires or droughts….. the water cycle can change dramatically, leading to much drier and hotter conditions. Similarly, without tree roots helping to minimize soil erosion, the risk of landslides increases dramatically.” (Death in the Forest, n.d) Moreover, with increased soil erosion rates in newly cleared regions, natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and landslides are subject to occur much higher, significantly affecting nearby communities. The harmful impacts of soil erosion can substantially be attributed to our rapidly increasing rates of industrial deforestation today.

References

Wildfire climate connection. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2023, from
https://www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfire/wildfire-climate-connection
Soil erosion. (n.d.). Mongabay.Com. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from
https://rainforests.mongabay.com/0903.htm
Team, S. F. T. (2021, October 23). Death in the forest: Deforestation effects on animals and what you can do. Stand For Trees. https://standfortrees.org/blog/deforestation-effects-on-animals
Deforestation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2023, from
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/deforestation
What is erosion? Effects of soil erosion and land degradation. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degradation
Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2021). Forests and deforestation. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/deforestation