Ericka McGhee 4/22/26 - Deforestation (outside reading)

An article posted by www.worldwildlife.org about deforestation and forest degradation explains the global impacts of this topic. Ecosystems are destroyed, contributing to climate change and harming wildlife, and people are just some of the problems linked to these actions. Deforestation occurs when forests are completely cleared for farms or cities. I see a lot of this where I'm from. My elementary school was surrounded by trees. In the last 10 years, they have all been cut down to build new houses right in front of the school. While forest degradation isn't as bad, it still harms forests, making them damaged and less healthy. The main cause of these two points is agriculture, cutting down forests to grow crops or raise cattle. While this seems okay because it helps to our nation's food supply. It hurts our ecosystems by taking away vital resources. Some other causes are: illegal or unsustainable logging, mining and infrastructure, and the demand for products like food, paper, or wood. Forests are home to the world's land biodiversity. Destroying forests leads to the loss of species and animal habitats, it always causes soil erosion, water problems, and causes harm to communities that depend on forests. Another major issue with forest degradation and deforestation is the impact on the climate; cutting down or damaging forests causes the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere. Leading to the worsening of global warming and diminishes the Earth's ability to store and absorb carbon. To solve this major issue, we must protect our forests and learn how to use our resources in a sustainable way. Reducing the demand for production that leads to deforestation is essential, and recycling our paper instead of throwing it away could help to solve this issue. We also need to improve the laws surrounding our forests and support conservation efforts for our forests. Taking all of these actions could help our Earth fight against deforestation and forest degradation. 

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