Environmental Issue
Introduction to Environmental issue Environmental issues are the harmful effects of human activities on the environment. These include pollution, overpopulation, waste disposal, climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect,deforestation, etc today we will be talking about deforestation issue in Malaysia
Deforestation Caused By New Constructions What is deforestation and why it happens?? Deforestation is when humans remove or thin forests for lumber or to use the land where the trees stood for crops, grazing, extraction (mining, oil, or gas), or development as the population increases and people migrate. 01. 02. 03. Agriculture Urbanization
Agriculture Why is deforestation happening? According to the FAO, agriculture causes around 80% of deforestation. And how does agriculture cause so much deforestation? According to the same report, 33% of agriculture-caused deforestation is a consequence of subsistence agriculture – such as local peasant agriculture in developing countries. Commercial or industrial agriculture (field crops and livestock) cause around 40% of forest loss – in the search for space to grow food, fibers or biofuel (such as soybeans, palm oil, beef, rice, maize, cotton and sugar cane). It is also particularly interesting to note livestock is believed to be responsible for about 14% of global deforestation. The main reasons why have to do with the large areas require both to raise livestock but also to grow its (soy-based) food.
Deforestation Caused By New Constructions Deforestation is likewise being driven by the building of human infrastructure. More precisely, the creation of new infrastructure for the four primary purposes of transportation, transformation, and energy production accounts for 10% of deforestation. Roads, trains, ports, and airports have all been constructed to transport a wide range of commodities, from fruits and cereals to spices, minerals, and fossil fuels, either directly to trading hubs or to locations of transformation. Thus, although there were initially just fruit trees, roads quickly developed to enable the transportation of fruit to other areas. Furthermore, although certain goods were and still are collected by hand, others—like coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, as well as meat, dairy, and spirits—required the development of substantial infrastructure for their extraction, transportation, and/or transformation.
Urbanization According to the FAO, 5% of deforestation is caused by population shifts that force people to relocate from rural to urban areas. By 2050, 68% of the world's population is predicted to live in cities due to urban growth, which is driving an exponential increase in the number of housing and consumption locations. In addition, as cities grow bigger in order to accommodate more people, they often push back against the surrounding natural borders, which results in deforestation.
Impacts of deforestation to the world When forests are destroyed by fire, cutting, or other means, carbon is released rather than absorbed. 15% or so of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation and forest degradation. Increased greenhouse gas emmissions Deforestation makes our planet hotter because it reduces the amount of carbon that the trees absorb. This could lead to rising temperatures and a rise in the frequency of extreme weather events. Rising temperatures In the absence of trees to stabilize rich soil, erosion may transpire, causing the terrain to flow into rivers. The agricultural plants that frequently take the place of trees are unable to cling to the soil. In fact, a lot of these plants, including wheat, coffee, cotton, soybeans, palm oil, and soybeans, can make soil erosion worse. According to scientific estimates, soil erosion and other forms of degradation have caused the loss of one-third of the world's arable land since 1960. Furthermore, agricultural producers continue to clear more forest and feed the cycle of soil loss as fertile soil washes away. INCREASED SOIL EROSION changes in patterns of weather and water.Due to their ability to maintain a balance between atmospheric and terrestrial water, trees are essential to the local water cycle. However, this equilibrium may be upset by deforestation or other degradation, leading to adjustments in precipitation and river flow. DISRUPTION OF WATER CYCLES
Negative impacts on humans Forest products are the source of many items, including toilet paper, paper towels, and ethanol for hand sanitizers. PPE, such as medical worker masks and clothes, also uses forest products. Additionally, many medications come from forests. Plants found in rainforests provide about 60% of all medicines with anti-cancer effects and about 120 prescription medications. These plants' compounds have been used to treat a wide range of conditions, including malaria, diabetes, and heart disease. Because so few plants have been studied for their potential medical benefits, it is critical to preserve forests and learn more about the benefits that plants may provide for humankind. Deforestation threatens the creation of medicines Millions of people work outdoors in industries like construction and agriculture. When forests are in good health, they provide shade, reduce air temperature, and block solar radiation. The temperature rises sharply in regions like the Amazon when trees are felled. A 2021 study published in One Earth states that over the previous 15 years, deforestation has cost almost 5 million people who work in tropical regions about 30 minutes of safe work time each day. Approximately 100,000 people—90% of whom are Asian—lost more than two hours of safe working time in other tropical regions. Many are forced to continue working in hazardous conditions where high temperatures can result in heat stroke and heat strain, both of which can be fatal, because they have lost their safe work time. Deforestation makes outdoor work dangerous
How Can We Stop Deforestation? Solutions to Deforestation The green path
Leaving Fossil Fuels and Palm Oil Behind Today, one of the primary factors destroying tropical rainforests worldwide is the extraction of palm oil. Many of the things you purchase from the grocery store contain palm oil, as you may not be aware. The virgin rainforest in Indonesia and Malaysia, where new plantations are being built at an alarming rate of 2.4 million acres year, provides the majority of the world's supply of palm oil. It may be difficult to stay away from goods that include palm oil because it can appear in many different forms in food and cosmetics.If you want to avoid palm oil completely, at least try to find a substitute that has a sustainable palm oil certification.
Eating Less Meat How can the loss of forests be stopped? 3.4% of the world's current annual carbon emissions are attributed to deforestation brought on by livestock, according to the WWF. Because of this, the late 2018 IPCC report made a point of saying that the single biggest method to slow down global warming is to cut meat intake by 90%. According to some research, the amount of cropland used globally might be lowered by more than 75% if people stopped eating meat and dairy. Reducing your meat intake is therefore also a significant step toward halting global warming and deforestation. Keep in mind that growing animals and the food they eat requires a lot of area, but growing other nutrient-rich foods could produce larger food
Plant a tree To combat deforestation, planting a tree is the simplest personal technique. You may think of planting a tree as a lifetime investment in both the environment and your mental well-being. Billions of tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, are emitted into the atmosphere as a result of tree chopping. Because trees absorb carbon dioxide, planting trees will help fight global warming. Additionally, you are assisting in lowering water runoff from the slopes. Rock falls and landslides, which occasionally endanger people, animals, or property, are stopped by tree roots. The general well-being and standard of living of the community depend on the planting and maintenance of trees.
Thank you very much!
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