OPINION: Why We Should All Care About The International Day of Forests
By Miri
Have you ever thought about how important our forests are? They purify the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and do so many other things like reduce climate change.
Forests also offer a home to much of the world’s diverse array of plants and animals and provide essential natural resources from food to medicinal plants.
Unfortunately, the amount of forest that is getting destroyed is increasing quickly. Around 10,000 years ago 57% of the world’s habitable land was covered by forest. But sadly, the world has lost one-third of its forest already!
With the current rate of deforestation, the world’s rainforests will be completely gone by 2100. That means the temperature will be boosted upon the earth’s surface. The food and shelter of animals will be absent. A decrease in the number of trees will lead to natural disasters like floods.
Obviously, this would all be terrible. So how can we stop all this from happening? For starters, you can buy recycled products and stop buying so much paper or other materials that involve cutting down trees. You could even plant your own trees! Raise awareness in your community and area and enjoy forests responsibly.
Some of the animals that will become extinct if we continue to treat our forests like this include orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas, giant pandas, monarch butterflies and various sloths and elephants.
We’d definitely not survive in a world without forests. So, let’s all take part and stop deforestation.
