Cutting down of forests for non-forest use is not a morally good thing to do, we have been told over and over again ever since school days of essays. But then we grow up and despite environmentalists coming into headlines for protests against deforestation, we tend to ignore it and somehow contribute our little but towards destruction of forests and natural habitats of many species going extinct.
In this article to help you deal with the
Group Discussions on Deforestation and its impact, we get you some facts, quotes, possible GD Topics and arguments to help you deal with any related topics of GD.
Some facts about Forests and Deforestation:
- It is estimated that within 100 years there will be no rainforest left owing to deforestation.
- Every second one and a half acres of forest is cut down for various purposes, the major one being agriculture. This equals destruction of 20 football fields every minute.
- According to World Resources Institute, 12 percent and 17 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions is due to deforestation.
- Amazon forest contributes with 20 % of the oxygen supply to the world.
- At the current rate of cutting down of forests, about 28,000 species are expected to become extinct by the next quarter of the century.
- Half of the world's tropical forest has already been cut down completely. Tropical forest also hold more than 210 gigatonnes of carbon.
- 1.6 billion people use forest products for livelihood, hence contributing to deforestation.
- Europe, United States and Japan alone consume half of world's timber and up to 70% of paper.
Possible Group Discussion topics on Deforestation:
1. Can deforestation be stopped?
2. Deforestation is necessary for development.
3. Rainforest depletion has to be stopped for the future of mankind.
4. Promote e-books and e-learning to save paper.
5. Deforestation - Pros and Cons.
6. Deforestation should be kept under check to prevent climate change.
7. Deforestation for agriculture cannot be stopped.
8. Can deforestation be catastrophic or is it a hoax?
9. Wrong deforestation data to create panic should be checked.
10. Can deforestations be lowered by donating to online causes that promise to revive greenery?
11. What can common people do to contribute towards reducing deforestation?
12. Can beekeepers stop deforestations?
13. Fighting climate change with bioenergy can do more harm than good.
14. Deforestation prevention and smart city development cannot go hand in hand.
15. Government isn't doing enough to prevent forest fire - For or Against?
Some quotes that can be used in the group discussion on Deforestation:
"Forests are in fact the world's air-conditioning system-the very lungs of the planet-and help to store the largest body of freshwater on the planet … essential to produce food for our planet are growing population. The rainforests of the world also provide the livelihoods of more than a billion of the poorest people on this Earth… In simple terms, the rainforests, which encircle the world, are our very life-support system-and we are on the verge of switching it off."
- Charles, Prince of Wales
Pros of Deforestation:
1. Development: For development of cities and towns, fuel and wood is needed and forests are cut down to provide for it. Development is necessary for the people and cannot be slowed.
2. Natural mirror: Some studies show that some wooded areas are better without trees as it allows the cleared landscape to reflect rather than absorb the sun's energy.
3. Agriculture: The cleared off land is mostly used for growing food which is a necessity and in some areas, exceptionally scarce.
4. Employment: Forest is not providing a lot of people with employment but cutting down of trees for wood and sap is.
5. Roads and transportation: Most of the forests are being cleared out to construct roads and railway lines that would allow transportation to cities where people can sell things and earn livelihood.
Cons of Deforestation:
1. Endangering species: It is not just trees being cleared out but also various species of animals and birds residing there that are deprived of their natural habitat leading to their extinction.
2. Endangering environment: Green house gases building in, carbon dioxide rise in the atmosphere and not enough trees to keep supplying oxygen is not an issue to be ignored.
3. Endangering planet: Natural catastrophes like drought, flood and climate changes are attributed to cutting down to trees.
4. Exhausting of limited resource: Destructing a forest would not take much time nor would the consumption of products but planting trees in cities are not going to cover up for deforestation.
5. Irreversible: Most of the damage done to the rainforests is irreversible. And yet we are not stopping.
Conclusion:
While deforestation is necessary for development of the world, it is also leading us to a very known yet neglected apocalypse. The balance between human and nature is not so difficult to find if we could start looking at nature as our provider instead of mere resource that needs to be consumed.
We hope that you found this
GD guide on Deforestation and importance of forests useful to help you deal with any related topic thrown your way.
