Investigating Sustainability McAdam 2013 | Page 23

Disadvantages vs. Advantages
Ever heard of the word“ vs.” before? There are disadvantages and advantages for clearing or cutting forests. Most of the disadvantages will affect our future in a very horrible way. The advantages are good reason to clear forest, but if we want to respect the advantages, we have to clear forests wisely.
Disadvantages �
Species Extinction: Throughout the years, special kinds of animals have become extinct.“ Likewise, advocates say, some bird species take refuge in the cavities of burned trees, or build their nests only in trees that have been regenerated by fire. Taking fire out of forests, they say, disrupts natural processes that make them thrive( Tangley)”. If you cut a tree, you destroyed a bird’ s home. There are lots of animals that live on or in trees. Squirrels, birds, insects, etc. The animals that live in a tree, want to survive and if their home was taken away, then they won’ t survive or thrive.
Destroys Ecosystem: Forest Thinning will affect the environment. Commercial logging and any activity to cut trees will destroy the ecosystem. Clearing trees will cause land erosion, defiles rivers, and other bad problems that will destroy ecosystems.
Cost lots of Money: The cost of money for deforestation is huge.“ In fact, opponents of logging say, timber harvests on federal land ultimately cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year, whereas promoting recreational use of the forests would generate a profit( Tangley)”. This means that timber harvests cost a huge amount of money per year.
� Harms the trees, you, the animals, and the environment: Trees provide the environment, us, animals, and trees life. Advantages �
Cutting trees helps other trees grow:“ Finally, supporters of logging refute claims that logging has a negative impact on the environment, saying that new approaches to cutting trees can actually help forests thrive( Tangley).” Say if there was a weed next to a flower. That weed will suffocate the flower, but if you remove the weed the flower will not die. You should cut the dead trees if you want other trees to thrive.
Cut only dead trees or dead branches: the law states that you should only cut trees that are dead or if there are dead branches. But if you cut a tree, plant a new one.
What are the Consequences?
There are lots of consequences for cutting trees. One of them is Lack of O2. Lack Of O2
“ Trees produce massive quantities of oxygen( O 2), a vital component of breathable air, and they consume carbon dioxide( CO 2), which is produced by burning fossil fuels( such as gasoline and oil) and by animal respiration( Tangley).” This means that the trees take in CO2 which is a waste product to us and exhales O2. O2 is very good for because it helps us live. So, if there were no more trees then there would be less oxygen in the atmosphere and more CO2.
Global Climate Change
Global Climate Change is when there’ s more CO2 in the atmosphere and if there’ s lots of CO2 in the atmosphere then Global Warming is on its way.“ Destruction of the rainforests increases the amount of CO 2 in the Earth ' s atmosphere, both because dead trees cannot absorb CO 2 that is already present, and because burning trees for farmland adds CO 2 to the atmosphere( Rainforest Destruction).” If dead trees can ' t absorb CO2, the amount of CO2 will increase very fast and can cause global warming. So the ice cap will melt fast, the water level rise, and the atmosphere becomes hot. The jet stream might also cause this. And inside the trees there is stored CO2 because trees inhale CO2.“ When forests are cleared-and their trees are burned and replaced by crops, cattle pastures, or towns-this stored CO2 is released in the form of the gas( Tangley).” This means that when the trees are cleared the CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
Species Extinction
Remember that lots of animals live in trees. Types of beautiful birds, wonderful insects, and other animals that live in trees are their homes. But if that animal doesn’ t have a home like a tree, they will die and if it was the last type of animal, that specie doesn’ t exist any more.“ Tropical rainforests are home to more than half of the plant and animal species currently known to scientists, and as such they play an integral role in the planet ' s " biodiversity "( range of life forms)( Rainforest Destruction).” There are a lot more animals in the forests then you think there are. Experts say that every 15 minutes a rainforest species dies. Every 15 minutes!“ If current deforestation rates do not change, they say, most tropical forests and up to a quarter of all the earth ' s species will be gone forever within the next 25 to 50 years( Tangley).” this means that if we don’ t do something about deforestation ¼ of the species will become extinct. Also, by 2050, half of the earth’ s species will die. Animals affect us because some of us love animals and we also eat types of animals.
What Are The Solutions?