2nd Rd. - STOP Harvesting Rainforests

Currently rainforests cover approximately six percent of the Earth’s land surface. Just a few years ago rainforests covered about fourteen percent of the Earth’s land surface. Rainforests consume a large amount of the carbon-dioxide that is in the atmosphere and produce oxygen for humans’ consumption. Rainforests are also the place where new types of medicine are discovered and are home to over half of all plant and animal species. About 1.5 acres of rainforest are being destroyed every second. Rainforests are mainly harvested for its timber or to clear land to graze cattle or grow corn. Rainforests provide many benefits to the Earth that we cannot place a monetary value on it. Rainforests are a crucial component to helping the environment recover. Therefore, we need to stop destroying the rainforests and try to save them.

Rainforests provide many services to the Earth that we cannot quantify with a monetary value. A few examples of the benefits that rainforests provide include medicinal purposes, removal of carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere, and the habitat to millions of plant and animal species. About 121 prescription drugs come from plant based sources commonly found in the rainforest. About 70% of the 3000 plants found in the rainforest have been found to be effective against cancer cells and 25% of the active ingredients in today’s cancer drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.

Rainforests provide approximately 25% of the world’s oxygen. Because of this feature, rainforests have been called the “Lungs of our Planet” or “Carbon Reservoirs.” It constantly recycles carbon-dioxide and produces oxygen. These rainforests play a vital role in the hydrological cycle. They act as the world’s thermostat by regulating temperatures and weather patterns by absorbing carbon dioxide, storing it, and producing oxygen.

It is estimated that more than half of all plant and animal species found in the world are only found in rainforests. More than two thirds of the world’s plant species are only found in tropical rainforests. Many of these species are critical to the survival of other species. If one species becomes extinct, it may trigger a chain effect that will affect all the species.

The previous described benefits of rainforests are all crucial to the survival of our planet. We cannot allow our greenhouse gas emissions to increase beyond current levels in the future. Deforestation is responsible for 18% of current greenhouse gas emissions. We have already lost a significant portion of our rainforests to deforestation and it has clearly had a negative impact on the environment. This practice cannot be continued. We need to focus on decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions and rainforests can help in that effort.