- [Narrator] Forests cover
about 30% of the planet.
And the ecosystems they
create play an essential role
in supporting life on earth.
But deforestation is
clearing earth's forest
on a massive scale.
And at the current rate of destruction,
the world's rainforest
can completely disappear
within 100 years.
Why should we care about deforestation?
Together Forestry and
Agriculture are responsible
for 24% of greenhouse gas
emissions, making deforestation
a significant contributor
to climate change.
Deforestation impacts the
amount of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere in two ways.
First, when trees are felled, they release
the carbon they are storing
into the atmosphere.
Second, trees play a
critical role in absorbing
the greenhouse gases
that fuel global warming.
Fewer forests mean larger
amounts of greenhouse gases
entering the atmosphere,
and increased speed and
severity of global warming.
In addition to helping
regulate the earth's climate,
forests provide habitats
for over 80% of the plants
and animals that live on land.
But deforestation destroys these habitats,
diminishing biodiversity.
Some estimate that four to six
thousand rainforest species
go extinct each year.
This also affects the more
than two billion people
who rely on forests as
sources of food and shelter.
The biggest driver of
deforestation is agriculture.
Farmers chop down trees
in order to plant crops
like soybeans, palm trees and cocoa,
or to make room to raise
livestock for beef.
Logging operations which
provide the world's
wood and paper products also
cut countless trees each year.
Forests are also destroyed
as a result of growing
urban sprawl, as land is
developed for dwellings.
The effects of deforestation are grave,
but not irreversible.
Efforts such as managing forest resources,
eliminating clear-cutting
and planting new trees
to replace those removed,
are already being made
to reduce deforestation's
environmental impact
on our planet.
And while some plant and animal
species are gone forever,
combating deforestation can help prevent
further loss of biodiversity.
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