Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet, which means they play a critical role in our everyday lives. One acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people annually. Not only do rainforests contain an abundance of trees that absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, but they also contain plants and fruits that are used in much of the world's diet and healthcare medicines. Unfortunately, our forests are in danger due to deforestation. In the past 50 years, 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been lost, contributing to factors such as agricultural expansion, wood extraction, and the expansion of infrastructure, as well various underlying factors.
If we as a nation don't take action, our rainforests will continue to lose 18.7 million acres of forests annually, which equates to 27 soccer fields every minute. Because rainforests provide the world with many of our key nutrients and medicines, as well as providing an ecosystem for a vast array of species, it is absolutely essential that we do everything we can to stop deforestation.
When forests are destroyed, carbon is released into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. In fact, deforestation accounts for around 10% of total heat-trapping emissions. The following list some statistics about deforestation from different factors:
Converting forests to pasture fields for beef cattle is responsible for destroying 2.71 million hectares of tropical forests each year.
Every year around 480,000 hectares is deforested for soy.
Palm oil contributes to 270,000 hectares of deforested land annually.
Wood production has been shown to cause around 380,000 hectares of deforestation annually.
The US National Cancer Institute has identified 3,000 plants that are active against cancer cells and 70% of these plants are found in rainforests.
There are also many underlying factors that contribute to deforestation such as population growth and market growth/commercialization. A Yale poll was conducted in 2019 that found that "nearly 60% of Americans believed that climate change will harm people in the U.S." but only "40% believed it will harm me personally". This shows that people are naive to the facts about how harmful deforestation can actually be. While alone, deforestation won't be the sole contributor to global warming, it still contributes to as much as 10% of the global warming emissions. It's important for people to be able to recognize this as a major problem. It's the for our nation to take a stand and to take action to fight against deforestation and global warming, before it's too late.