A speech to persuade a group of 6th formers to my view that deforestation should be banned. To be delivered in an assembly.

Deforestation is a major problem and it causes a number of disruptions. Did you know that an area of forest equal to 20 football or rugby fields is lost every minute? This just gives you an idea of how much deforestation takes place. Deforestation is known as the world’s most pressing land-use problems, so don’t you think that something should be done about this?

The size of the world’s forest total is 4.7%, yet emits 25% of the world total carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide greatly effects global warming. Did you know it accounts for at least half of the greenhouse effect? The problem occurs when these atmospheric gases, mostly produced by human activities, slowly warm the earth. Trees are half carbon and by burning them, all of that carbon is released into the atmosphere. At least 75 percent of deforestation in the tropics is due to burning, which releases about 2.4 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. 40% of the world's land area is forest. 15% of the world's forests have been cleared out. During the 20th century, the rate of forests being cleared is accelerating greatly and this problem will not go away, eventually there will be no forests left.

Why should animal’s homes be destroyed like this? Is there any reason to cut down trees in rainforests? Rainforests are meant to be beautiful, peaceful places where people can visit, but no, the trees are cut down for wood and paper. Think of all the hundreds of species who live in the rainforest, who are pushed out of their homes. They are left with nothing. How would you like it if your home was destroyed and you had nowhere to live?

Deforestation is a serious problem. But humans can make a difference. So how can we stop ...

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Deforestation is a serious problem. But humans can make a difference. So how can we stop these terrible tragedies from happening? We can use wood sparingly; we can learn how to make a low-cost, energy sufficient stove contact or we can use the “Wonder box” which is a cheap, simple way to save fuel, whether wood or electricity. There are plenty of things for us to do, so why is nothing being done? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if the trees were left alone and animal’s homes were left as they were? Some people try their hardest to save wood and energy and to recycle anything possible. We all need to do all that we can to save the forests. One day there will be no forests left; it will just be soil and many animals will be left with homeless and nowhere to live. Do we really want this to happen? I don’t think we do. And I am sure if everyone tried to save the forests then we could make it happen. Just start by doing the simplest things, recycling and using the Wonder Box.

People are getting concerned with the rate of deforestation, currently; 12 million hectares of forests are cleared annually. Almost all of this deforestation occurs in the moist forests and open woodlands of the tropics. At this amazing rate all tropical rainforests could be lost completely by the year 2050. I can’t imagine what the world would be like with no rainforests, can you?

Many people have different opinions about deforestation. Some people believe that deforestation is bad and in the future can cause death to humans. Others believe that deforestation can affect different areas, according to the climate in that part of the world. For instance the Philippine floods are one of the major results of deforestation on the environment. Another example is that the Sahara desert is spreading into Arabic land due to the same reason, cutting down trees which previously prevented sand movement.

If you happen to visit East Africa now, you will find out that some of the lakes are drying up. The Lake Victoria level is reducing dramatically, soil is eroding and this could result in the death of the tourist industry. These are three major things that don’t want to happen so how can we stop them? We can already see the warning signs but what can we do? We ignore them. These signs are the increasing incidences of floods, storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters; the emergence of new deadly and strange diseases – AIDS, the JE virus, Chicken Flu, and Mad Cow diseases. Why don’t we forget about our fancy bits of wood, nicely cut and clean, from the DIY store. If everyone contributed to recycling, half of the rainforests in the world could be saved.

So please think about this. Think what deforestation is doing to the world and how much damage it has caused. Everyone in the world can make a difference and so can you.

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