Globalization aims to bring to us development and innovation across different fields. And with this, we are promised to have a better future if we are able to go and flow with the fast-changing technology and use up all resources available. With this, we are being driven to use as much resources from the environment, even if it meant that we use more than we actually needed. With the aim to be globally competitive, we sacrifice a lot of things, including the very planet we could only live in. The earth and its environment suffered much with the things man has been doing to reach more of what we think is progressive and advanced. Sadly, we might improve and achieve more in many things, but lose what is much more important, our planet. We will be focusing on the issue of deforestation and what we can do to address this problem.
According to statistics and studies, we are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are beginning to appreciate their true value. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires for its timber value and then are followed by farming and ranching operations, even by world giants like Mitsubishi Corporation, Georgia Pacific, Texaco and Unocal. More than half of the world's timber and 72% of paper is consumed by 22% of the world's population (the United States, Europe, and Japan). Worldwide, industrialized countries consume over twelve times more wood products per person than non-industrialized countries. The United States has less than 5% of the world's population yet consumes more than 30% of the world's paper. Every year more than 8.5 million hectares of tropical rainforests are being razed. This is all true and very alarming.
The causes of deforestation are population growth, poverty, and unequal access to land are among the major causes of deforestation, that is according to the Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Unless people become responsible of their family and nations of their citizens’ family planning, we will hardly solve different environmental issues, especially deforestation. More human beings would mean more demands and needs. Resources are scarce and are not increasing as we increase in number. Population growth does not have to stop but has to be controlled. Poverty and unequal access to land contributes to the problem wherein the less fortunate will not be able to educate themselves and help in the problem. The urbanization of provinces where forests and green places are being converted to subdivisions and malls lessen the trees and add to the problem. The need for timber, for industrial use and as fuel is also a cause to deforestation. Corruption is not an exception wherein government officials allow people to destroy because of money and power that they get.
The different effects of deforestation, on the other hand, are global warming, emission of greenhouse gases, global climate change, carbon stores in soil, reduced net oxygen levels, and biosphere instability. The issue of deforestation does not affect only the specific places but the earth as a whole which means it concerns us all. Landslides and soil erosion are happening. The balance in the ecosystem is destroyed that even animals and plants die because they lose their natural habitat. Many people suffer whenever stronger typhoons happen because trees which are supposed to alleviate the effects of these storms are gone. Carbon dioxide is building up in the atmosphere which is supposed to be taken by trees and exchange it with oxygen. As we continue not to take action of the problem, we are making things worse for ourselves and for future generations.
Forests promise us riches and more discoveries with all that is in it. There are a lot more that we can find and use for development and innovation, to make lives better for everyone of us. We need to take actions now to save the environment most especially our forests. It is never wrong to save and care for where we actually get everything we have now. Globalization, if joined together with right care and proper use of the environment, will not only improve and enrich ourselves and our lives but also the earth where we live in. We get to share the positive changes and the riches to the future generations if we do that. We can always develop and innovate but we need not to sacrifice what is only one and irreplaceable, our home planet, the earth.
