The causes of deforestation are varied. The most important include logging, the conversion of forested land for agriculture and cattle raising, urbanization, mining and oil exploitation. However there has been a tendency of highlighting small scale migratory farmers as the major cause of forest loss. These farmers settle along roads through the forest, to clear a patch of land and use it for growing food or cash crops. In tropical forests, this leads to rapid soil degradation as the soils is too poor to sustain agriculture. Consequently, the farmer is forced to clear another patch of forest using the degraded land for cattle raising. Many parts of North America and Western Europe have become deforested due to unsustainable agriculture, leading to severe soil degradation and in many cases abandonment of the area by the farmer. Logging companies believe that the world’s richest countries want their timber therefore have to cut down trees to make a living. Translation companies buy large areas or forest which is then turned into cattle ranches. The beef that they produce is sent to more economically developed countries. Landless people are encouraged to set up small farms on land that they are able to buy cheaply from the government, who clear large areas or forest for them. If deforestation is reduced the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will significantly fall. Reducing deforestation will also enhance Earth’s defence mechanism against pollutants, multiplying the amounts of trace radicals and increasing the Earth’s chance to stabilize the atmosphere in the long run.
Alternative sources of energy
Fossil fuels are a reliable source of energy however they cause damage to the atmosphere and will be exhausted in the future. The alternative source of energy is renewable energy and is produced in many ways using the sun, wind, tide and waves.
The first form of renewable energy that we use is Solar Power. There are three main ways that we use our suns energy;
Solar Cells contain light sensitive cells that convert light directly into electricity. In a sunny climate you can get enough power to run a 100w light bulb from just one square meter of a solar panel.
Solar Water heating, heats water in a glass panel on your roof. Water is pumped through pipes in the panel. They are painted black therefore absorb sunlight and heat up. This aids the central heating system and reduces fuel bills.
Solar furnaces use a huge array of mirrors to concentrate the suns energy into a small area and produce very high temperatures.
An advantage to solar energy is that it is cleaner for the environment than the emissions produced as a by-product from fossil fuels. Because solar energy uses the sun, it doesn’t produce waste or pollutes the air and it’s free. In sunny countries solar power can be used where there is no convenient access to electricity in a remote area.
A disadvantage to solar energy is that it only operates in sunny conditions therefore it doesn’t work at night. Furthermore solar powered stations are very expensive to build and can be unreliable unless you live in a very sunny climate.
The second form of renewable energy that we use is Wind Power. Wind blows a propeller around on a tower which turns a generator to produce electricity. They are built in groups to produce more electricity where the wind is strong and reliable, such as coastal areas, at the top of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains. To be worthwhile an average wind speed of 25 km/h is needed. The towers are tall, to get the propellers as high as possible, where the wind is stronger. This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming.
The advantages of using wind power are that it doesn’t produce any waste or greenhouse gases and it’s free. Wind turbines are a good method of supplying energy to remote areas. However it’s not always reliable as at some times there may not be any wind. Suitable areas of land are usually near the coast and are very expensive. Also, wind farms are very loud when generating energy therefore if they are built near public houses, the residents will be very angry and agitated as they will have many sleepless nights.
Another form of renewable energy is from tidal power. There are two main ways in which energy can be produced using tides.
Firstly a tidal power station can be built. This can be a huge barrage which is built across a river estuary. When a tide flows in and out, water is channelled through tunnels in the barrage, thus turning the turbine. Otherwise tides can be used to force air through a pipe which then turns a turbine.
If built in the right areas tidal power stations could have many advantages. Besides being reliable and not producing any greenhouse gases, they could protect a large stretch of coastline against damage from high storm tides. They could also serve as a road bridge. However a barrage across an estuary is expensive to build. It affects a wide area of the environment as it is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. Also a decrease in water upstream and downstream will cause problems for farmers who rely on the river to feed and water their farms. Furthermore there are only a few sites suitable for building tidal barrages.
Another option is to build offshore turbines. These are like wind farms however they are submerged in the sea. As the tide flows through the propellers they turn and energy is produced. These are cheaper to build and do not cause environmental problems.
Energy can also be used from waves which is another form of renewable energy. There are several methods of getting energy from waves, but one of the most effective is at a wave power station. Here the arriving waves cause the water in the chamber to rise and fall, forcing air in and out through a turbine which turns a generator, thus producing energy. Another method is offshore wave energy collection which uses a floating tube called ‘Pelamis’. This long hinged tube floats in the waves causing the hinges to bend. This pumps hydraulic fluid which drives a generator.
The main advantages to this solution are that they are not expensive to operate and maintain. No fuel is needed and it doesn’t produce any waste or greenhouse gases. However this solution depends on waves therefore is not reliable. Also there are a few suitable sites where the waves are strong enough to produce energy.
Another form of renewable energy that we use is hydro-electric power generated from falling water. This method comprises of a dam being built to hold water, usually in a valley where there is an existing lake. Gravitational potential energy is stored in the water above the dam. It is then allowed to flow through tunnels in the dam at high pressures driving the turbines and producing energy. The water then flows away down the river as normal.
The advantage of this solution is it is more reliable than wind, solar or wave power as electricity can be generated constantly. No waste of pollution is produced and energy is virtually free. However the dam itself is very expensive to build. Therefore it is also used for flood control or irrigation so building costs can be shared. The dam will flood a very large area upstream, causing problems for animals that to live there. Furthermore water quality and quantity downstream can be affected, which can have an impact on plant life.
This shows that there are many different types of alternative sources of energy that can be used to decrease the amount of fossil fuels burnt. Although some methods are expensive at first in the long run they will benefit owners as the electricity produced is free. Each method effectively produces electricity without releasing any greenhouse gases or waste. If these methods are used there will be no need to burn fossil fuels and therefore decreases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In conclusion I believe that using alternative sources or energy would dramatically reduce the need to burn fossil fuels and risk of global warming will diminish. Although reducing deforestation will effectively reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere I think it will be easier to use alternative sources of energy as they are renewable and it will secure our younger generations future. There are many different methods of this solution and if used simultaneously there will be enough electricity produced to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used and therefore reduces the risk of global warming.