7 Pivotal Pros and Cons of Deforestation
Deforestation is a growing problem on our planet. This is when mass amounts of forest land is cut down and destroyed in order to free up the land for other purposes. Most commonly these purposes are to build buildings, homes, factories, and other types of industrialized structures. In some cases, this land is also used for agriculture purposes, like farm land. While cutting down trees is something that is unavoidable for any type of worldly growth, it’s something that we should certainly be thinking twice about. Do the good effects that are enjoyed from deforestation truly outweigh the horrible consequences that may be coming in the near future and are already here today?
The Pros of Deforestation
1. Creates Room to Grow
Space is a completely limited resource. Once all of the build-able land has been used, there is no more. This is the sole reason that deforestation exists in the first place. It creates mass amounts of land to expand countries and cities, which help to boost the economy is wonderful ways.
2. Provides a Wealth of Materials
Another great thing that deforestation brings to the world is the massive amounts of materials that are gained. Trees are used for all kinds of things. Weather it be materials to build with or paper to write on, the possibilities for the use of materials is unlimited. This also means that the forests are not being cut down in complete vain.
3. Emergence of New Jobs
Jobs are also created as a product of deforestation. When you look at all the different levels of labor needed when it comes to deforestation you may be very surprised by just how much work it takes. People are being employed to run the initial process of clearing the land, then more people are given jobs for the building on said land, and the businesses that build there also supply jobs.
The Cons of Deforestation
1. Environmental Problems
Trees serve vital purposes to the world. They act as natural air filters, and absorb a large amount of the harmful gasses that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. When you cut down massive amounts of these trees you are causing the air quality of the planet to be compromised. The additional gasses that are now being released into the atmosphere are also a huge contributor to global warming.
2. A Short Term Plan
One of the biggest arguments surrounding deforestation is the fact that there is a gross lack of a long term plan. There are only so many trees on our planet, and if we continue to cut them down at such a rapid rate, then there will eventually be none left. This is also true when you think about the amount of land that is available. Eventually, with growth at such a high rate, we will run out of forests to destroy, and space to build. We should be preparing for this fact now instead of waiting for it to become a global disaster.
3. There’s Only So Much
Once that last tree is cut down, there will be no way to fix the damage that has been done to the planet. Instead of cutting down all of our natural resources, we should be working hard to conserve them and help them flourish. Deforestation is the exact opposite of conservation, which is raising quite a few red flags for environmentalists around the world.
4. Floods are Inevitable
Forests and trees serve many vital services to the planet. One of these is the control of flooding in areas. Trees have large and deep roots within the ground, when it rains the ground absorbs this water, which is then absorbed by the trees and other plants in the forests. Without this additional absorption, the ground becomes too saturated with water. When the ground can no longer hold anymore water, it begins to build up on the surface, causing massive flash floods and wide spread disasters in many areas.
