We have heard more information than ever before in the last couple of years regarding climate change as the evidence has simply become irrefutable. There are many factors which have contributed towards the rising temperature of the planet, and one of the key issues here is the razing of the rainforest. It is for this reason that we have such a drive at the moment of reforestation efforts and whilst they are doing great things in that regard, we have to anticipate difficulties given that we are looking to reverse the many years of trees being cut down which we have experienced. These efforts are absolutely crucial and here is why.
Billions
Recent studies indicate that we are chopping down somewhere in the region of 15 billion trees each and every year, a staggering amount of trees which are being lost. Over the last 12,000 years we have lost just under 50% of the world’s trees. A small percentage of those lost trees are as a result of forest fires which can occur naturally but in the main it has been humans who have contributed to the death of so many forests and the destruction of so much of the rainforest in particular. We have cut trees down so that we can make space for crops such as sugar cane, tea and coffee, as well as mass amounts of land which has been used for soy, which is needed because of the meat industry, which is causing untold levels of damage.
Replanting
Reforestation efforts are greatly important because of the level by which we have been chopping trees down and now that we know more about what this has lead to, it is crucial that we work tirelessly on increasing the number of trees which we have in the world. The process for this is not as simple as throwing seeds in the ground, saplings must be cultivated and carefully cared for before they are then placed in the ground. This is to give those little saplings the best chance at growing as possible, because there is not a 100% success rate that all new seeds planted will go on to become large, carbon dioxide absorbing trees.
Government
These reforestation efforts are not just about getting new trees in the ground, there is also a great deal of work which has to be done at a higher, governmental level. We have to lobby governments to get on board with reforestation plans, they have to free up the land and the money where it is needed and there is also essential work that is being done on making sure that we continuously move forward and not regress to where we have been in the past. This takes a huge amount of time, money and effort to deal with people at such a high level and that contributes a great deal to the work which so many reforestation charities have on their hands.
We have to give these efforts the support they need to work, otherwise great danger awaits.
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