Deforestation is defined as the wide cutting or clearcutting of a large area of trees. This causes large consequences to our environment as well as people living near forests as trees help lessen flash floods and excess carbon emissions in our atmosphere.
Deforestation produces 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, becoming the second leading cause of global warming. Studies reveal that tropical deforestation, among other types of deforestation, adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than cars and trucks combined. In some countries like Brazil and Indonesia, deforestation and forest degradation are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Chlorophyll harnesses light energy. Hydrogen and oxygen from water absorbed by roots are split up by light energy. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by leaves and paired with hydrogen to produce sugar which turns into plant food. Extra oxygen is released in to the atmosphere.
By absorbing the excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, our forests help our ozone layer by lessening the harmful carbon emissions which can cause climate change. They also help us by giving us oxygen which allows us to breathe.
There is a hawaiian saying that goes "Hahai no ka ua i ka ululaʻau" - "The Rain Follows the Forest". This is scientifically supported by the concept of the hydrologic cycle. Water that is absored by the roots of the trees evaporates from the leaves. This vapor then becomes water, the rain we see. This rain returns to the soil as the cycle repeats itself.
By absorbing excess water, forests help those who live in flood prone areas as well as those who are at risk from landslides caused by these floods. Forests can also cool temperatures through cloud cover formed from water vapor.
Deforestation can be traced back to various causes, most of which are man-made. The need for extraction of forest products such as timber, fuelwood, and charcoal can be considered as the main cause of deforestation as large amounts of trees are needed for businesses to create profit from these forest products.
Another cause of deforestation is agricultural expansion where methods such as the slash-and-burn shifting cultivation require intensive land use, causing the clearcutting of forest areas. Agricultural expansion also includes the creation of oil palm, biofuel, and rubber plantations as they also require large amounts of land to be built on. Mining and logging operations, both legal and illegal, may also cause deforestation as large amounts of trees are needed for profit and forests are required to undergo clearcutting to create paths for their equipment.
Forest areas can also be depleted by infrastructure development and overpopulation. As our society continues to become more urbanized, more tourism facilities are developed and more housing areas are needed to accommodate the expansion of our population.
Deforestation is an issue which affects us all. As trees absorb excess water in our lands, deforestation can lead to multiple landslides and floods. It was noted by the Citizens’ Disaster Response Center that at least 27 floods and 17 landslides occurred annually from the year 2000 to 2010 and at least 1.6 million people were affected each year by floods while 24,212 were affected by landslides. Aside from this, it was estimated that around tens of millions of pesos worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure were caused by these floods and landslides per year.
Deforestation could also threaten the Philippines’ status as a biodiversity hotspot. The country has 6,091 endemic plant species and 591 endemic animal species in which 151 are endangered. As most of these species live in forests, they face the threat of habitat loss as deforestation continues to become a pressing issue.