There are many negative consequences of deforestation for the environment (locally and globally). For example, deforestation causes global warming which changes the climate (weather) throughout the world. When tresses are burnt CO2 is produced and because CO2 is a greenhouse gas, it rises in the atmosphere and blocks the heat rising away from earth. This causes floods because the heat that is trapped inside the earth can melt the ice blocks in the oceans; also trees need water from the soil for photosynthesis (transportation). This water is afterwards condensed into the atmosphere as water vapour which forms rain.
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So fewer tresses would mean less rainfall, which means the rainforest could become dry and possibly one day even a desert. Deforestation also damages the soil of the rainforest, the trees protect the soil but when the trees cut down the rain washes the soil into rivers (river pollution). This increase erosion and decrease soil fertility which makes it difficult to plant other trees and plants in the soil. Hydroelectric power station have put large areas of the forest into water and also the development of the forest causes loss of wildlife habitat and effect the oxygen and CO2 cycle. People of the Amazon rainforest are suffering from high rates of diseases which are brought in by invaders such as Europeans working for multi-national companies (MNCs). The poor people of the Amazon rainforest who are mainly framers usually are force to leave their land by other powerful people or group. The brazilin government shouldn’t allowed powerful people to break human right.
Why is the Brazilian government finding it difficult to enable the rainforest to be managed in a sustainable way?
The Brazilian government is finding it difficult to get nation and international agreement to enable the rainforest to be managed in a sustainable way, because MNCs want to make maximum profit.
This means they do not want to spend their money on the forest being developed in a sustainable way. This means that if the Brazilian government tries to sign an agreement with countries such as U.S.A and U.K then MNCs such as MC Donald’s may put a lot of pressure on the countries that try to sign an agreement threatening that if they do sign an agreement then the MNCs would stop trading with them.
What is the Brazilian government doing to solve the problems of deforestation?
The Brazilian government is doing several things to solve the problem of deforestation .for example they are making national park.
Where they put the animals and plants of the forest and they are also passing out various of laws to try and develop the forest in a sustainable way. These laws limit the number of trees cut down and they also make people plant two trees for each one that the cut down.
What is sustainable development?
Sustainable development is using natural resources in order to raise our standard of living, but not damaging or wasting the natural resources and also leaving for the next generation. The idea of keeping the natural resources comes from ‘sustain’ which means to maintain or protect. The basic idea of sustainable development is to create a better life for everyone now and for generations to come.
How can development in the forest be sustainable?
Logging companies must reduce the number of trees cut down and have to place two trees every cut down.the Brazilian government can charge taxes on hardwood product and the money can be spent on reforestation. Also the shops and customers can be encouraged not to buy rainforest product that are not produced in a sustainable way.
What groups benefit from deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest?
The groups that advantage from deforestation in the Amazon rainforest include MNCs, the Brazilian government, cattle ranchers, mining companies, local people with who are unemployed. MNCs benefit from the cheap natural resources and land of Brazil.
Cattle farming which supplies cheap beef to North America, China and Russia. It is estimated that for each pound of beef produced, 200 square feet of rainforest is destroyed. In the past 20 years Costa Rica, Central America has lost the majority of its forests to beef cattle ranching. This is known as slash and burn farming and is believed to account for 50% of rain forest destruction. However, without nourishment from the forest, the soil becomes very poor and dry. The grass often dies after only a few years and the land becomes a crusty desert. The cattle farmers then have to move on and destroy more rain forests to create new cattle pastures.
Mining
The developed nation’s relentless demand for minerals and metals such as diamonds, oil, aluminium, copper and gold are often found in the ground below rain forests. The rain forests therefore have to be removed in order to mine and extract them. Poisonous chemicals are sometimes used to separate the waste from the minerals which often find their way into rivers polluting water supplies and killing fish and even the birds and other animals that feed on them.
I used the following to complete this assignment:
www.rainforestconcern.org
www.rainforestconcern.org (and then click why are rainforest are important
www.bbc.co.uk/nature/news/255news2.shtml
(and then type a question)
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