Environmental Impacts of Deforestation

Deforestation is the permanent clearing of land in forests for agriculture, construction,
manufacturing, grazing, or any other activity that directly leads to reduction of forest cover.
Deforestation causes environmental impoverishment that has a rippling effect on natural systems
such as the disruption of the carbon cycle, water cycle, and decrease in species diversity. Forests
play an important role in the carbon cycle, especially through photosynthesis. This means that
deforestation has an indirect impact on climate change since lack of trees to convert carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere into oxygen results in higher amounts of greenhouse gases.
Similarly, deforestation has a negative impact on the hydrologic cycle, especially due to the fact
that global climate is controlled by water vapor in the atmosphere. For instance, rainforests are
the biggest players in the water cycle; by emitting water vapor into the atmosphere, the global
climate patterns are affected. Cutting down trees in rainforests also leads to reduced species
diversity due to the destruction of natural habitats, failure for certain species to adapt, and
eventually the extinction of these life forms.
The greenhouse effect has led to changes in earth’s natural environment over the course
of history. One of the contributing gases to this effect is carbon dioxide, which helps increase
earth’s temperature due to the creation of a medium that traps heat inside the atmosphere
(Bradford, 2018). When people cut down trees to pave ways for manufacturing, they contribute
to the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. The carbon cycle is an
important aspect in climate change because it encompasses different routes through which the
gas is released into the atmosphere and processed into a harmless gas such as oxygen. Since
photosynthesis is the major route through which the gas is removed from the atmosphere,
deforestation lowers the rate at which this process is achieved.

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Deforestations disrupt the water cycle since forests release water into the atmosphere
through plant transpiration. With decreasing forest cover, there is less rain, less water in the
catchment areas and eventually turning once fertile places into deserts or semi-arid regions.
Since the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is directly linked to the amount of rainfall,
deforestation risks dry conditions that contribute to global climate change, consequently
affecting key areas of human survival such as agriculture. Forests also make the local
environment cool by using up heat in the atmosphere in photosynthesis, releasing large amounts
of water that has a cooling effect.
In addition to disruption of the water and carbon cycle, deforestation causes reduction in
diversity of species due to destruction of natural habitats. When large tracts of forests are cut
down, animal species lose their natural habitat, fail to relocate and risk extinction. This affects
the biodiversity of animal and plant species. This affects the stability of the ecosystem since
almost half of all animal species live in rainforests. For example, certain animal species might be
fully dependent on specific trees or animals, and hence, lack a means for survival when these
forms of life become extinct.
The disruption of many environmental and ecological systems as a result of deforestation
means this behavior puts the sustainability of life forms on earth. In most contexts, the rippling
effect on global warming and subsequent climate change makes it worthwhile to protect forests,
especially the rainforests. It increases the carbon foot print, disrupts the water cycle through
reduced transpiration, and also leads to biodiversity loss. Every country should realize the
important role that the presence of forests plays in the global ecosystem, and put policies in place
to discourage deforestation.

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References

Bradford, Alina. “Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects.” LiveScience, last updated April 3,

2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018, from http://www.livescience.com/27692-
      deforestation.html