Deforestation Destroying the Lungs of our Planet

The world seems to be neglecting and ignoring the importance of the earth’s rainforests to the continuity of mankind. With the increasing population in this industrialized country, people tend to only value the rainforests for their wood products. The fact is, however, that rainforests produce a significant amount of oxygen to the entire world, and without them, the world cannot survive. Supplying oxygen is probably the most important contribution of rainforests, but they also provide a wealth of resources such as basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices, industrial raw materials, and medicine. Rainforests used to cover fourteen percent of the world, and now they only cover six percent. If deforestation continues at this rate, experts estimate, the last remaining rainforests could be destroyed in less than forty years.

One and a half acres of rainforests are being cut down every second solely due to the value of their timber as perceived by ignorant governments, logging companies, and land owners. Not only is deforestation slowly affecting the entire human race, it is currently hurting both wildlife and indigenous tribes. For instance, nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to deforestation. Also, there were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago; today there are less than 200,000. In Brazil alone, European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900's.