DEFORESTATION


Deforestation 


The sound of a chainsaw in the distance rumbling and humming, DESTROYING what we treasure most. The wilderness unique to earth. Imagine a troop of baboons sits eating fruit in the African summer. Their life as it should be, a harmony between all creatures. Though they fight, they never maimed all of the races. All that inhabit earth; share what we have and need. Using only the resources required to live. Until the days of the humans, WE as humans DESTROY all that had been for millions of years. The way we and all of the creatures that call earth home.

Air is important to all living things, we take it for granted. As we destroy the forests of the world we are systematically depleting the process in which carbon dioxide is changed into air, photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, plants use the suns energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. The carbon dioxide is obtained from the atmosphere and the oxygen replaces it. But as we remove the trees the risk of hypoxia is increased significantly. The effects of hypoxia are illness, pain, fear, excessive heat or cold, hunger and thirst, and other sensations. It is difficult to detect hypoxia, because its victims are seldom able to judge how seriously they are affected, or if they are affected at all. The unpleasant sensations experienced in suffocation are absent in the case of hypoxia. Blurring of vision, slight shortness of breath, a vague, weak feeling, and a little dizziness are the only warnings. This is usually an effect of high altitude, but as the air depletes the gravity pulls the remaining air close to the ground making the usual heights feel like high altitudes 
increasing the risk of hypoxia.



They say all diseases have cures, and those cures are existent in the jungles of the world, all we have to do is find them. As the jungles deplete the chance of finding a cure for cancer and other life threatening diseases is slowly diminishing. “Clavillia is a perennial herb mainly used to kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The cocoa tree produces more than 150 chemicals in its leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark. The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs used parts from the tree to treat anxiety, fever, fatigue, and coughs.”* That is two of millions species of undergrowth, plants, vines, leaves all providing cures for many years and still provide a base for all modern medicines. Think of the jungle is a group of medicine cabinets. If the medicine cabinets disappear, the medicine goes with them.                     


Sir David Attenborough quotes "There is no more important issue facing the world than the problem of carbon in the atmosphere". As well as this, Sir David warned that the ongoing destruction and clearing of the world's rainforests is having an increasing impact on the UK. Sir David noted that over the past five decades, he has been lucky enough to visit a rain forest or tropical forest almost every year. However, he warned that the ecosystem of rain forests is different to that seen in the UK and said that deforestation of such areas will "cause huge problems globally". Rain forests are not just essential to the planet, but are also places where many people call home, Sir David said. Sir David has so much knowledge of the rain forests and their inhabitants that it is hard to ignore the facts he has outlined.
What are the alternatives, how do we fix this problem? These aren't the right questions to ask its why we aren't taking action? Why are we making stands against it but never carrying out on these promises? Its a matter of why, not how. We know the alternatives but we need to take action and change the world step by step, bit by bit.
Housing is one of the main uses of wood; an average house uses 120 trees to construct, it is estimated that 7,000,000 houses are built a year. That means around 840,000,000 trees are cut down for housing alone. Metals could be the answer to this crisis. “Steel framing though not traditional is stronger and won't warp or twist because it won't absorb water, so it won't rot or support mold. Its also non allergenic helping you have a healthier home. Steel framing is dimensionally accurate which means straight and true walls, it will stand the test of time all for a similar price as conventional framing.” This is Axxis’s sales pitch in their current ad campaign. The strength and eco friendliness of the metal framing is astounding and should be more widely used.


Alternative options are getting cheaper and more available to the general public; products such as solar panels, wind turbines, water turbines and gas are better for the environment and provide a source of heat without using wood fires. All of these options can keep you warm, cook your food and most of all keep you off the grid.



To me of these small things make a big difference, saving the environment bit by bit over the years. T





he human race has no authority to destroy this earth, and we can, we have the power to. But we also have the choice of saving the earth with the low cost options presented to you. The choice is ours, no other creatures on earth can stop us from destroying what over millions of years has grown and evolved but us. Its your choice as to the worlds near future.





Bibliography

Bear Grylls Mud, sweat and tears by Bear grylls on hypoxia   

Modern-day plague
By National Geographic

Hakatere Council, Hakatere, New Zealand on alternative power and housing statistics

Medicinal Plants of the Amazon Rainforest
By Axxis steel for framing

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