Video Overview
Slideshow
Deforestation Written Overview
Most people have heard the term “deforestation” at one point or another in their lives. However, many people don’t actually know what that term means. A loose dictionary definition of this word is the act of cutting down trees. However, in the real world, this word is used to refer to the massive scale on which forests around the world are being cut down. In fact, over 18 million acres of forests are lost each year according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That’s about 0.6 acres per second! If you don’t know what an acre is, it is 28,125 square miles or about 842,750 football fields (1.6 football fields per second!) Just imagine how soon all the forests of the world will be cut down if we continue at this rate. So, now that you know what deforestation is, let’s get into why you should care about it.
Some of you might ask, why should I care about deforestation? I can just eat meat every day, right? Think again. Let me ask you a question of my own. Do you care about living and breathing? I’m guessing that the answer to that is yes. Now, maybe you’re wondering what living and breathing have to do with deforestation. In order to understand that, you need to know the basics of the human respiration (breathing) system. Basically, we breath in oxygen and our body uses it to keep us alive, then turns it into carbon dioxide and our breath it out. So, why don’t we run out? The answer? Plants. Plants do the exact opposite of what we do; they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This process keeps a balance between the animal and plant kingdoms. However, if the animal kingdom was wiped out then all the plants would run out of carbon dioxide and die. If all plants went extinct, then animals would run out of oxygen and we would all die. Now, back to the topic of deforestation. By cutting down so many trees(18 million acres per year or for those who don’t know what an acre is 28,125 square miles) we are cutting down our source of oxygen which will if we don’t stop cutting down trees at this rate, end up causing us to die as well. On top of that a vast majority of animals and insect species make their homes in and around trees. Cutting down trees could cause them to lose living space which would make them more likely to enter human neighborhoods, putting both the animals and the humans in harm’s way. Sure, there are some groups and people out there who try to plant trees but this small number of people will not be nearly enough in the long run. The 18 million acres I mentioned earlier? The number of average trees planted annually was subtracted from that so it’s not the number being cut down but rather how much more are cut down than planted each year. So, to answer the original question, why should you care about deforestation? Because if you don’t, all animal life on Earth could well go into extinction.
Deforestation has many causes, some natural and some man-made. Many times, the natural ones are actually good for the environment. For example, many trees have seeds whose shells only open in a fire so forest fires are necessary for the growth of new trees. In such fires, many trees are lost but just as many are born. So, sometimes deforestation is a good thing. However, when it is man-made deforestation, it is usually not a good thing. For example, when people chop down trees for wood, the trees don't re-grow
Some of you might ask, why should I care about deforestation? I can just eat meat every day, right? Think again. Let me ask you a question of my own. Do you care about living and breathing? I’m guessing that the answer to that is yes. Now, maybe you’re wondering what living and breathing have to do with deforestation. In order to understand that, you need to know the basics of the human respiration (breathing) system. Basically, we breath in oxygen and our body uses it to keep us alive, then turns it into carbon dioxide and our breath it out. So, why don’t we run out? The answer? Plants. Plants do the exact opposite of what we do; they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This process keeps a balance between the animal and plant kingdoms. However, if the animal kingdom was wiped out then all the plants would run out of carbon dioxide and die. If all plants went extinct, then animals would run out of oxygen and we would all die. Now, back to the topic of deforestation. By cutting down so many trees(18 million acres per year or for those who don’t know what an acre is 28,125 square miles) we are cutting down our source of oxygen which will if we don’t stop cutting down trees at this rate, end up causing us to die as well. On top of that a vast majority of animals and insect species make their homes in and around trees. Cutting down trees could cause them to lose living space which would make them more likely to enter human neighborhoods, putting both the animals and the humans in harm’s way. Sure, there are some groups and people out there who try to plant trees but this small number of people will not be nearly enough in the long run. The 18 million acres I mentioned earlier? The number of average trees planted annually was subtracted from that so it’s not the number being cut down but rather how much more are cut down than planted each year. So, to answer the original question, why should you care about deforestation? Because if you don’t, all animal life on Earth could well go into extinction.
Deforestation has many causes, some natural and some man-made. Many times, the natural ones are actually good for the environment. For example, many trees have seeds whose shells only open in a fire so forest fires are necessary for the growth of new trees. In such fires, many trees are lost but just as many are born. So, sometimes deforestation is a good thing. However, when it is man-made deforestation, it is usually not a good thing. For example, when people chop down trees for wood, the trees don't re-grow
Written Overview [Climate Change]
We live on Earth, the only planet that supports life, located in the ‘Goldilocks Zone’. That is a good thing, because it is not too cold that we would freeze and not too hot that we would burn. It is the only planet that contains liquid water, one of the necessities of life. It also contains a strong atmosphere to protect us from sun's deadly radiation. Earth has everything we need. However, over the past two centuries, we have poisoned the environment by releasing more carbon dioxide than all the previous centuries combined. Scientific studies have shown that the Earth has become hotter, resulting in the melting of all the ice caps, which have lead to an increase in sea level. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes are now more often. This is called climate change, which will lead up to the sixth mass extinction, featuring us! As a result of our reckless behavior, the sixth mass extinction will kill everything, including humans.
Climate change is real, while one of the causes of climate change is deforestation, the cutting down of trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and releases oxygen which is vital for the survival of animals. Without trees, there would be no chance for survival. However, we cut down trees at a record pace over the last two generations, more than all the other generations combined! When we cut down trees, we release more carbon dioxide than all the cars, ships and airplanes combined! This increase in carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming. Global warming is the heating of the Earth. The increased amount of carbon dioxide forms another layer in the atmosphere. This extra layer traps heat, similar to atmosphere of Venus. Due to this increased heat, the ice caps in the arctic is melting, which is harming all the animals in the arctic ecosystem. If this trend continues, polar bears will soon become extinct. If all the ice caps melt, the sea level will rise about 230 feet! Which would flood many countries, killing billions of people! The Earth would look extremely different!
The current population of the Earth is about 7.5 billion, but did you know, in 1950 the population was only two billion! The population has quadrupled over the last 60 years! Which leads us to the big question, how many people can the Earth support? Scientists believe it to be about 10 billion people, which is estimated to be around 2050. By the year 2100, there would be around 16 billion people! Another problem is the loss of biodiversity on this planet, which can be directly related to our actions. We continue to destroy habitats on a daily basis. When we exterminate one species, it has ‘knock on’ effect on the food chain, which in turns upsets the ecosystem. This catastrophic impact to the loss of biodiversity is likely to affect the planet for many centuries to come. The current loss of biodiversity is being named ‘The Sixth Mass Extinction’.
So what can an ordinary person do about this? One way to end deforestation is to support governmental programs by donating at “Stand For Trees” to help stop deforestation. By riding a bike, taking a public transit or carpooling you help limit your carbon footprint. Simple things like recycling, turning off the lights when you do not need them, also helps the environment. Did you know if you can stay off the road for just two days every week, you would be reducing your greenhouse gas emissions by 1590 pounds per year! Also by doing this, you save more money! Choose renewable energy by buying a green-e-certified energy supplier. By using less heat and air conditioning, you are avoiding about two thousand pounds of carbon dioxide emission per year. By reducing thus, reusing, and recycling you can avoiding about two thousand four hundred pounds of carbon dioxide emission per year! Planting trees is another easy one! Encourage others to conserve. Be part of the solution, not the problem!
Climate change sounds like a big problem, however, if everyone does their part, climate change can become a thing of the past! Remember, we are not apart from nature but a part of nature - to save nature is to save us. To destroy nature is to destroy us. By doing your part in stopping climate change, you could make a big difference. Trees stand for us, it is time we stand for them!
Climate change is real, while one of the causes of climate change is deforestation, the cutting down of trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and releases oxygen which is vital for the survival of animals. Without trees, there would be no chance for survival. However, we cut down trees at a record pace over the last two generations, more than all the other generations combined! When we cut down trees, we release more carbon dioxide than all the cars, ships and airplanes combined! This increase in carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming. Global warming is the heating of the Earth. The increased amount of carbon dioxide forms another layer in the atmosphere. This extra layer traps heat, similar to atmosphere of Venus. Due to this increased heat, the ice caps in the arctic is melting, which is harming all the animals in the arctic ecosystem. If this trend continues, polar bears will soon become extinct. If all the ice caps melt, the sea level will rise about 230 feet! Which would flood many countries, killing billions of people! The Earth would look extremely different!
The current population of the Earth is about 7.5 billion, but did you know, in 1950 the population was only two billion! The population has quadrupled over the last 60 years! Which leads us to the big question, how many people can the Earth support? Scientists believe it to be about 10 billion people, which is estimated to be around 2050. By the year 2100, there would be around 16 billion people! Another problem is the loss of biodiversity on this planet, which can be directly related to our actions. We continue to destroy habitats on a daily basis. When we exterminate one species, it has ‘knock on’ effect on the food chain, which in turns upsets the ecosystem. This catastrophic impact to the loss of biodiversity is likely to affect the planet for many centuries to come. The current loss of biodiversity is being named ‘The Sixth Mass Extinction’.
So what can an ordinary person do about this? One way to end deforestation is to support governmental programs by donating at “Stand For Trees” to help stop deforestation. By riding a bike, taking a public transit or carpooling you help limit your carbon footprint. Simple things like recycling, turning off the lights when you do not need them, also helps the environment. Did you know if you can stay off the road for just two days every week, you would be reducing your greenhouse gas emissions by 1590 pounds per year! Also by doing this, you save more money! Choose renewable energy by buying a green-e-certified energy supplier. By using less heat and air conditioning, you are avoiding about two thousand pounds of carbon dioxide emission per year. By reducing thus, reusing, and recycling you can avoiding about two thousand four hundred pounds of carbon dioxide emission per year! Planting trees is another easy one! Encourage others to conserve. Be part of the solution, not the problem!
Climate change sounds like a big problem, however, if everyone does their part, climate change can become a thing of the past! Remember, we are not apart from nature but a part of nature - to save nature is to save us. To destroy nature is to destroy us. By doing your part in stopping climate change, you could make a big difference. Trees stand for us, it is time we stand for them!
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