Deforestation promotes global warming

KARACHI: Human health and well-being are closely associated with forests that cover almost a third of Earth’s land area and are critical to our environment in numerous ways. Forests maintain hydrological cycle, conserve soil, prevent climate change, fix concentration of carbon in atmosphere, as well as preserve land’s biodiversity. Besides, many countries benefit from them for the production of wood and certain medicines.

Deforestation is the conversion of forests to permanent non-forested land for use in agriculture or and urban development. Tropical rainforests are also central to the issue. Reduction in the area of tropical forests is resulting in loss of biodiversity and accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Today, the whole world is facing environmental problems because of massive deforestation. Unchecked deforestation is going on for a long time. While forests including the tropical rainforests are being destroyed, efforts at the same time are also being constantly made to conserve forests.

There is a need to understand why forests are being destroyed. Nearly over half of clearing of tropical moist forests is for agriculture settlement. Agriculture expansion continues to be the main driver of deforestation. As the world’s population is expanding day by day, it is necessary to make food available for them. Logging to harvest timber for several purposes is also seriously degrades forests. Clearing of the forests is also being done to establish infrastructure for expanding cities and towns.

Deforestation has a devastating impact on climate and biodiversity. It has also greatly altered landscapes around the world. Forests are considered the primary terrestrial sink of carbon. Tropical rainforests are often called ‘lungs of the planet’, as they draw carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.

For instance, the Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world and provides 20% of earth’s oxygen. Deforestation disrupts the global carbon cycle. The unbridled deforestation increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which results in global warming as carbon dioxide traps thermal radiations. Global warming is the main cause of flooding and melting of polar ice caps.

Deforestation also disrupts hydrological cycles and weather patterns. It also results in hotter and drier weather, thus increasing droughts and desertification. Deforestation also contributes to loss of vegetation due to soil erosion. Biodiversity, the diversity of life on Earth, is essential for healthy functioning of ecosystems. Forests harbour most of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. Forests biological diversity encompasses not just trees, but the multitude of plants, animals and microorganisms that inhabit forest areas. Deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, which results in biodiversity depletion due to habitat loss. Scientists predict that many species will suffer and will eventually go extinct through loss of habitats.

This underlines the critical need to conserving the forests to conserve biodiversity. The planet has already lost at least half of the forests, and the rest are being effectively eliminated. There must be regulated and planned cutting of trees, afforestation programmes should be started and there must be proper checks on clearance of forests for agriculture settlement or urban development.

Actions to combat deforestation and illegal logging must be taken to protect forests is associated with the health of the environment.

New challenges from climate change require urgent action to explore and protect the local value of forests. All necessary actions must be taken to get on top of the problem before it gets on top of us.