The Living World- Deforestation Flashcards
Deforestation
describes trees being cut down and not replaced in forests.
Farming and agriculture
As the global population rises, more food needs to be produced.
Forests can be cut down to grow crops in fields.
If farmers grow cattle, then their cows need a place to graze and farmers will cut down trees to create grazing land for their livestock.
Subsistence farming describes farmers growing their own crops to eat and survive.
Logging and timber
The timber created by cutting down trees can be sold at a profit.
As well as the trees themselves being cut down and sold, to transport the timber from the rainforest to the cities, even more trees have to be cut down for the loggers to create roads.
Construction of power plants and renewable energy
The world’s growing population needs more energy.
To try to stop climate change, there is a push to use more renewable sources of energy (like solar, wind or hydroelectric power).
Ironically, deforestation can happen to create space for developments to create renewable energy.
Wind farms need space for the turbines to spin.
Hydroelectric power plants need dams of water instead of forests. Forests are usually flooded to allow hydroelectric power plants to function.
Solar panel farms need areas that are not sheltered from sunlight.
Growing population
In 1950, the world’s population was 2.5 billion people.
In 2019, the world’s population was 7.7 billion people.
Cutting down trees in forests clears space for new housing and new towns.
Also, as the global population grows, we need even more metal, wood, and other resources to produce goods and services for these people. Sometimes, deforestation happens to clear space for mines or happens in logging (cutting down trees for their wood).
Mining and raw materials
Mining metals (and other minerals) is vital to produce goods and services that we want and need today. Steel (made from iron ore) is common in construction. Electric vehicles are meant to be better than petrol vehicles for the planet. However, the batteries needed for EVs are created using lithium, which is mined from the ground.
The Impacts of Deforestation
Deforestation usually impacts the environment negatively and the economy positively (at least in the short-term).
Economic impacts
In 2018, Brazil exported $28bn worth of metals. The mining industry creates jobs, exports and helps increase Brazilian people’s standard of living.
Similarly, hydroelectric power plants and cattle farms help to create jobs.
A nation’s tourism industry could be damaged if too much deforestation took place as tourists could stop visiting the rainforest.
Environmental impacts
Fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis.
Fewer trees mean that soil is bound together less tightly and that soil erosion is more likely to happen. This increases the probability of flooding and makes the soil less nutrient-rich. Soil is also more likely to be washed away if rainfall hits the rainforest floor more frequently.
Often, deforestation happens using ‘slash and burn’ techniques. The burning of the trees releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere.
Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles are meant to be better than petrol vehicles for the planet. However, the batteries needed for EVs are created using lithium, which is mined from the ground.
