{"id":1901,"date":"2022-04-05T20:08:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T20:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=1901"},"modified":"2022-07-12T08:44:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T08:44:27","slug":"deforestation-explained-should-we-cut-down-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/deforestation-explained-should-we-cut-down-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Deforestation Explained: Should We Cut Down Trees?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Deforestation refers to both the human-driven and natural removal of trees.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0When debating whether we should destroy trees, it’s important to consider the various perspectives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Firstly, what do we gain by cutting trees down? Secondly, what are the repercussions? This article explores these questions to determine whether or not we should cut down trees.<\/p>\r\n

How many trees are cut down each year?\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The exact number of trees cut down each year is difficult to quantify. The size of the area deforested is the most common measurement for deforestation. For instance, since 2014, an area the size of the UK, equal to 26 million hectares (64 million acres) has been lost.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Various factors affect how many trees grow in any given region.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The rate of deforestation also changes over time and varies between different countries and climates.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Overall, estimates range between 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees felled annually.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

How many trees are cut down every day?<\/h2>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

With the annual estimate, it’s possible to deduce the daily number of trees cut down. The midpoint between 3.5 and 7 billion is 5.25 billion. By dividing this by the number of days in a year, we can establish that 14,383,562 trees are felled daily.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

It is difficult to picture the scale of deforestation in numerical terms. This is partially why the area of forest destroyed is more commonly cited than the actual number of trees.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Why do we cut down trees?<\/h2>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The principal reason for cutting down trees is to clear space for agriculture.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> As much as 80 percent<\/a> of global deforestation occurs to replacing forests with farmland.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Increasing demand for just four commodities drives most of today\u2019s deforestation: beef, soy, wood products, and palm oil.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Logging activities also cut down countless trees to provide the world\u2019s wood and paper products.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

In short, economic incentives are behind much of the world\u2019s deforestation.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

What are the repercussions of deforestation?<\/h2>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The repercussions of deforestation at the current rate are catastrophic for our planet. Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are already at their highest level in human history.<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This greenhouse gas traps heat and increases global warming<\/a>.<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Trees are an effective way to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere since they absorb and store carbon as they grow.<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> However, deforestation releases the sequestered carbon in trees and is currently responsible for 20 percent of global carbon emissions.<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

The rate of deforestation is now so high that forests are actually losing their capacity to act as carbon sinks.<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This increases the likelihood of a global rise in temperature in excess of 1.5\u00b0C. If this happens, it significantly inflates the probability of catastrophic events like rising sea levels, mass extinctions, droughts, tropical cyclones, forest fires, and ocean acidification.<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The disastrous consequences of our current rate of deforestation, therefore, monumentally outweigh the short-term economic gains.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deforestation refers to both the human-driven and natural removal of trees.\u00a0When debating whether we should destroy trees, it’s important to consider the various perspectives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":1904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,27],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeforestation Explained: Should We Cut Down Trees? - Climate Transform<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Should we continue to cut trees down at the current rate? 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