Us humans constantly remove forests, usually to make more land available for building houses or some other building. This is not just bad for the things living in the forests, but it is also bad for the planet. In this article, we will explore how deforestation is a global threat.
First off, it ends the lives of many. Might not be human lives, but it is still lives. The forest could have been a home, food source, and/or water source. Imagine a species destroying the city you live in, making many people in your city die, just so they could have a building. Would you think that is fair, or would you think that is a terrible thing to do?
Next, trees also release carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. Trees are capturing and storing carbon dioxide. This helps us since there is less greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Once you cut down the tree, the carbon dioxide gets released into the atmosphere, which is just asking for climate to change.
Deforestation can also lead to floods. When it rains, the water usually gets soaked into the ground. Some of this water can’t soak into the ground, but the tree roots absorb the water, preventing the water from causing a flood. Without the trees, more water is stuck on the land, which could quickly lead to flooding. Trees also act as a protective barrier by using its leaved and branches to prevent most of the rain from reaching the ground. Without the trees, it will be much easier for the rain to reach the ground, leading to a flood.
Deforestation can also lead to the area being warmer. Trees keep hot air away in many ways, such as providing shade, reflecting sunlight, and evapotranspiration, which is where water transfers from the land to the atmosphere by water leaving the soil (known as evaporation) and plants (known as transpiration). Evapotranspiration keeps the earth cooler by increasing the moisture in the air, leading to cloud formation, which reflects the sunlight. Less clouds means less sunlight reflected which means more heat coming to the earth.
Lastly, it also causes soil erosion, which is when the soil quality decreases. In fact, some say it is the main cause of soil erosion. It does this because the roots from the trees protect the soil from wind and water, both of which can decrease the quality in the soil, making it more difficult for plants to grow.
As you have learned, there are many different effects of deforestation beyond just making other animals lose their habitats. There are many more effects, but these are just some of the main effects of deforestation.
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