World Forest Days come and go but few,if any at all,are really bothered about the fast depleting green cover and the loss of its inhabitants.
Sans doubt,this has caused a huge negative impact on climate change.Forests cover about 30% of the planet but deforestation is clearing these essential habitats on a massive scale.
According to several estimates,the world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a 100 years.
The biggest driver of deforestation is,of course, agriculture.Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often,small farmers will clear a few acres by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known as slash and burnagriculture.
Logging operations,much of them illegal, which provide the world’s wood and paper products,also cut countless trees each year.Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl.
Not that all deforestation is intentional.Some is caused by a combination of human and natural factors like wildfires and subsequent overgrazing, which may prevent the growth of young trees.
There is,of course, dramatic impact of loss of habitat for millions of species.80% of Earth’s land animals cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.
Deforestation also drives climate change.Trees help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapour to the atmosphere.Without trees to fill these roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts.
Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy,which blocks the sun’s rays during the day,and holds in heat at night.This disruption leads to more extreme temperature swings that can be harmful to plants and animals.
The green cover also plays a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere and increased speed and severity of global warming.The number of new tree plantations is growing each year but their total still equals a tiny fraction of the Earth’s forested land.
Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer,including food,fresh water, clothing,traditional medicine and shelter.
We are losing 18.7 million acres of forests annually, equivalent to 27 soccer fields every minute.
The green cover act as a carbon sink,soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns.It is estimated that 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation.
This is of particular concern in tropical rainforests because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity.Deforestation in this region is particularly rampant near more populated areas,roads and rivers,but even remote areas have been encroached upon when valuable mahogany,gold and oil are discovered.
Shri Utpal Chatterjee:Acclaimed Journalist,Professor,Global Peace Ambassador under UN,Much Sought Eminent Speaker, Former Sheriff of Kolkata.
