Deforestation... it's a problem. A huge one
In class we have been learning how we humans have drastically changed the Earth. We also talked about how carbon dioxide can affect more than just the air.These connections are that if there is more carbon dioxide in the air, then that means that the oceans are hotter, which is not good because then the polar ice caps would melt, which would cause the global water levels to rise. This is not a good thing. I will be talking about SDG 15 target 1, which is to ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
Nature Felling Tree. MaxPixel
Deforestation is a major problem in the world. A solution could be that all countries work together to fix it, by making new laws or adding taxes on the major companies that are causing the problems. SDG 15 aims to Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Specifically target 15.1 states that by 2020 we will ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements The SDGs are saying that this needs to change now mostly because the land that has been cut down and the land that is currently being cut down is releasing/released a lot of Carbon Dioxide. This is really bad because the more co2 there is in the air, the hotter the earth will get because of again, the amount of emissions that are released into the air. There has been lots of progress, but so far there are only 4 billion hectares of forests left (two thirds), which means that we are taking more than we can put back. Between 2015 and 2020, the deforestation rate has decreased by 6 million hectares per year (it was an estimated 16 million hectares per year from the 1990s to 2015)
Did you know that from 2001-2019, Russia had lost over 64 million hectares of trees? In 2013, Russia made an act called the Roundwood Act, which requires documentation of all of the wood usage and transportation (meaning that there needs to be proof that what they take is legal). This means that if more trees are cut down and shipped than what is documented, they will be considered illegal goods because they are not registered or documented. In 2008, there was a tax issued by the Russian government that aimed to restrict log exports. This helped a lot because many logging and paper/pencil companies don’t want extra fees or taxes to pay, because it makes them lose money. The tax was increased by 80%, which is $73 per cubic meter of wood.
Don’t give up hope, because you too can help stop the growing rate of global deforestation! There are many ways that we could help, we can help by using reusable products such as utensils, straws, plates, and much more. This would reduce the amount of plastic consumption, and less consumption means less pollution. Eating more plants, and less meat products, this is a great help (This is included because one of the main reasons that there is so much deforestation is because of the global need for farmland). The growing population needs to be fed, so the higher the demand, the more land and animals that are needed. Use products that are proved to be sustainable, and recyclable. This last one ties into the first one, because the pollution could cause changes in not only the land but also the water and the air.
There is a lot of deforestation happening in the world, and this is a huge problem because the trees store CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), and if they are cut down that means that those trees that have been there for centuries release all of the carbon stored in them. (about 1.5 BILLION tons of carbon dioxide is released due to deforestation each year).
In conclusion, there are a lot of problems with deforestation, one of them being that there are more and more countries that are helping to reduce the amount of trees that are cut down. Russia, for example, has lots of forests. Russia has made a lot of progress in order to prevent illegal tree cutting and they have also put taxes on all of their tree/paper/pencil companies.
