The following is a beautiful video put together by the whatismissing foundation, seen on TreeHugger. It’s a beautiful perspective on deforestation which needs to be seen if only for its visual beauty.
Let’s not forget that deforestation is the second largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and therefore not something to turn a blind eye at. Whether it’s the Amazon rain forest, the Indonesian rain forest or those of central Africa, often forests are felled at a staggering rate to allow for more pasture grounds thus increasing the amount of livestock which contribute to GHG emissions themselves. It’s also controversially used to grow plants to be exclusinvely used as biofuels as is the case in Borneo with the increasing growth of palm trees for oil.
Deforestation is also tightly linked with the loss of habitat for species we often know little to nothing about. Regularly new species are being discovered and already they are on the brink of extinction. Biodiversity is being seriously endangered by deforestation and without biodiversity it’s the whole biological balance of the planet which is put at risk.
Thankfully many people are strongly raising awareness of the issue, people like Prince Charles or groups like Greenpeace.
If you’re wondering what can be done about it, the simplest method is to be aware of the wood-based products that you buy and make sure they come from from sustainable sources. The main wood-based products we use on a daily basis is of course, paper. Printer paper, toilet paper, tissues or kitchen towels are the most ubiquitous ones. Look out for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo below:
Oh and make sure you recycle all discarded paper as much as possible. Finally, avoiding products that contain palm oil is another way to take action. It might not make a dent in the exploitation of the Indonesian rain forest but at least it makes us more aware consumers.