Deforestation of The Amazon Rainforest - 1136 Words

The Amazon rainforest is perhaps the richest collection of plant and animals diversity in the world. It recycles rainfall from coastal regions to the continental interior, providing water for Brazil’s inland agriculture. Big industries like Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, and Cargill have established industrial soy plantations in Brazil that are taking over large plots of land in the Amazon rainforest (Food for Thought). Soy has been popularized in the past decade as a healthy protein substitute for the restricted diets of vegetarians and vegans. In the past 40 years, soybean production has increased by 500% (Soy Benefits). International demand for the soybean has been on the rise, and with it comes an increase in deforestation and†¦show more content†¦The Xavante territory is to the Brazilians, what Cancer Alley is to Americans. It is a low-income area downstream from large corporate farms that release dangerous toxins into the river. â€Å"Soy’s environmenta l sustainability and social justness depends upon respecting rights of local peoples including their food sovereignty, ensuring local land bases and water resources are not exceeded, halting all new industrial soy monocultures in order to properly scale agricultural development, and stopping the use of toxics (Food for Thought).† Although Brazil has had a reduction in deforestation, this was mainly due to a decline in agriculture markets, other than an increased level of legislature to protect the forests (Brazils Success in Reducing Deforestation). With the explosion of societies that consume high levels of soy, further deforestation is inevitable unless safeguards are put in place to ensure expansion does not cause more harm to the biosphere (Soy). The Xavante people hold a deep ecological perspective on their territory, first and foremost it is their home and they wish to protect what is rightfully theirs but that being said, they hold the land in high regard because it is from the land, specifically the river, that they derive the main necessity of life, water. The river that runs through their territory is so incredibly polluted by fertilizers and herbicides it is no longer potable. They can no longer eat the fish from the river which made up aShow MoreRelatedDeforestation of The Amazon Rainforest945 Words   |  4 Pages Brazil holds the global warming issue in the palms of its hands and the government of the world’s fifth-largest economy doesn’t seem to care. A recent article featured on usatoday.com states that the destruction of the Amazon rainforest rose 28% from August 2012 to July 2013 after 4 straight years of decline (Sibaja, 2013). I’m sure this may surprise some people because of the widespre ad concern of global warming and the affect it may have on future generations, but I don’t think the Brazilian governmentRead MoreDeforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest833 Words   |  4 Pages David Alas ENF 111 11/01/15 The Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest I. Introduction A. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most important natural features of our planet, crucial to our way of life. However, what Godfrey (1990) described as â€Å"one of the world’s last great settlement frontiers† is severely under threat. B. According to some experts, during the past 40 years close to 20 % of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed. Furthermore, it has been suggested that this figure could beRead MoreDeforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest1779 Words   |  8 PagesSince the year 1970, 758,092 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest have been lost due to deforestation (â€Å"Changing Deforestation 1†). Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses and has been extremely prevalent in the Amazon rainforest in recent years. Many argue that the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is wrongful because of its negative impact on the environment while others argue that it is necessary to keep the BrazilianRead MoreThe Deforestation Of The Amazon Rainforest1574 Words   |  7 Pages A real life example of a social dilemma is the deforestation of the amazon rainforest. In the early 2000’s rapid industrialisation, immense scales of agriculture and other economic activities led to 20% of the territory being destroyed. The scale of destruction particularly, within Brazil was so large; NASA released an image confirming the effects were detectable from space, (Winter, 2014) Many of the contributing parties to the problem included, developers, subsistence farmers, cattle-ranchersRead MoreDeforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesDeforestation in the Amazon Rainforest: Human degradation and its consequences Deforestation is a word that displays an image of cruelty against nature. In any language, and on every continent, the word deforestation is frowned upon by all social classes, however why it is still happening? The consequences of this act that involves human beings willing to cut down trees, burning plants, and destroy habitats of animals are just actions to satisfy some human being. The Amazon rainforest covers variousRead MoreDeforestation In The Amazon Rainforest Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxideRead MoreDeforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay2143 Words   |  9 PagesIdea 2: Problems can arise when one group pursues its own interests to the detriment of others. Deforestation in the Amazon has led to conflicting interests in the Amazon region. Potentially it can affect societies worldwide through global warming. In this assignment, I will agree or disagree with the following hypothesis: Deforestation in the Amazon benefits some people at the moment. It also causes problems for other people, both in Brazil and theRead MoreEssay on The Effects of Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest1093 Words   |  5 Pagesapproximately thirty percent (â€Å"Deforestation†). That is about nine percent of the world’s total surface. The largest rainforest is the Amazon River Basin, located in South America. The Amazon is home to many species of animals, insects, plants and trees. Many of the trees and plants in the Amazon produce about twenty percent of the oxygen on earth, and absorb carbon. However, the Amazon is decreasing in size every day due to the ongoing deforestation of the land. Deforestation is when the forest of theRead MoreTragedy of Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Essay1243 Words   |  5 Pages The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is the world largest rainforest with over 30 million different species of plants, animals and insects. The rainforest used to cover of the earths surface but today only covers . This is mainly because some parts of the forest are being rapidly deforested because the forest is so useful to so many people. Deforestation provides benefits for many different companies which wish to make large amounts of money. Also Brazil owes largeRead MoreImpact Of Deforestation On The Amazon Rainforest Of Brazil, South America, Impact The Environment?1493 Words   |  6 PagesEvaluation Research Summary The question researched was â€Å"How does deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, South America, impact the environment?† The topic of deforestation in the Amazon was chosen as there is much concern about the problem and for the future of the Earth. There were different research processes used to discover new information about the problems in the Amazon rainforest such as, an interview with a person who currently lives in Brazil, annotating books, journals, internet