Comparing our Earth thousands of years before and to the present, our planet is very different. Thousands of years before, our planet is greener, is healthier and is also more inhabitable. However thousands of years after, the planet is polluted, is dangerous for living things and uninhabitable for some. This is because humans are polluting our planet. The ecosystem cannot work as it is supposed to work because human beings are disrupting the cycle, in exchange for convenience and technology, bodies of water are being polluted, plant and animal habitat are being sacrificed and forests are being cut down. This is called deforestation and its effects on the Earth as well as earth’s inhabitants such as humans are very harsh.
The Earth is filled with trees for a reason. We can say that trees are the blood of the earth. Similar to human beings, if human beings lose blood, we become unhealthy and to a certain point, we die. This can be also applies to earth. When Earth loses its trees, the planet becomes unhealthy and to a certain point, the planet may die. Along with its inhabitants, Deforestation is a reality and it happens all around the world. People do not really care at all about the reality of deforestation. What exactly are the effects of deforestation? Recently, it is common for countries to experience widespread flooding especially during the rainy season. One cause of these flooding’s is the lack of trees. Usually during rains, trees sip the water to prevent flooding. But lack of trees means that the waters that rains bring will be accumulated because there are no trees to drain the water.
During the monsoon season, flooding is not the only hazard that people face. Landslides are more dangerous than flooding because in flooding you still have time to react and to reach higher ground, but in landslides, in just a few seconds, you will be buried under tons of soil. What exactly causes landslides? Landslides are most common in the mountains. Mountains, which are bald, do not have anything to hold the soil and rocks intact. Therefore in the presence of heavy rain, the soil becomes damp and wet. Therefore, the soil becomes unstable as well and prone to landslides. Compared to mountains, which are rich trees, landslides in those mountains are almost impossible.
We can also say that deforestation can create storms. Storms, which are one of the causes of landslides and flooding, Lack of trees in one of the reason for global warming, normally, the carbon dioxide that we release in the air is absorbed by trees and turned into oxygen. However, lack of trees and huge amounts of carbon dioxide is the main cause of global warming. One of the effects of global warming is a very strong storm. Similar to the recent storm that hit the Philippines which was the strongest storm ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan. By this we can see that it is all a chain reaction. The cutting of trees is one of the causes of global warming. Storms and typhoons is the effects of global warming, Floods and landslides are the effects of those storms and trees which are cut down are the ones which are supposed to prevent flooding’s and landslides during storms.
Is it bad to cut trees? Since the ancient times people have been using trees as a material for shelter as well as tools. It is not bad to cut trees however, there is a saying that anything in excess is dangerous. Excessive cutting of trees is dangerous. What makes trees so valuable is the fact that tens of hundreds of years are needed to grow these trees. Also, small trees are very vulnerable. In a planet where industrialization and developments in technology in inevitable, cutting down of trees are also inevitable, however, balance is the key. Balance between industrialization and nature. Some companies, when they have developmental projects and trees should to be cut down, they usually plant trees to replace the ones that they will cut. Usually they say that they will plant ten trees in compensation for one tree that they will cut down. The problem is that trees take many of years to grow. Also they plant trees but do they take care of the trees that they plant and do they monitor its development? Small trees are like babies during the first few years; they need to be taken care of. They may plant ten thousand trees in replacement for one thousand trees that they cut down but at the end of the day, only one hundred trees may fully develop because they were not taken care of. Because of the, effort of the people planting trees is wasted. Also the resources are also wasted looking for seeds as well as the money used to buy these seeds as well as water and fertilizers, which are also essential.
We do not fully feel the effects that lack of trees brings. However, now the public is becoming more aware of the situation, the public is now more aware of pollution, of global warming, of carbon dioxide, of greenhouse gasses, of flooding’s and many more. Planting trees is similar to an investment, you sacrifice something at first but in the long run, you will greatly benefit from it. Yes at first trees are difficult to plant and are more difficult to maintain, however in the long run, similar to investments trees will be greatly beneficial to people. This is because of the fruits, of the oxygen and the fact that trees give habitat to animals and people and most important of all, prevents natural calamities such as landslides and flooding.
Why do people continue to cut trees? One reason for this is that people are greedy. In exchange for trees, which are thousands of years old, companies will build restaurants, resorts and hotels for profit. Make no mistake these structures help the economy but thee are ways to keep a balance between industrialization and nature.
One alternative is land reclamation. Land reclamation is the process form creating new land from oceans, lakes and rivers. This process is usually used by countries, which are small and have a limited amount of landmass. However this method can also be used by countries, which want to preserve their natural resources. Since the Philippines is an archipelago country and is surrounded by bodies of water, land reclamation is very possible. This is already tried in Pasay in which the ground where the Mall of Asia was built was reclaimed and it was successful. No trees were also cut during the construction of this structure.
Another method is tree planting. Mountains and forests, which are bald and have no trees anymore, can still be saved. If trees are planted in those places and are taken care of, those mountains and forests can still recover. Nature is not a machine, it is a living thing and it can recover if put under the right conditions. Trees can be cut down for structures but those trees needs to be replaced and those replacement should be taken care of. These methods are the key to achieving balance between industrialization and nature.
Recently, we can see all over the news about natural calamities, about pollution choking countries such as China and New Zealand in which smog choked their countries for days which disrupted their everyday lives because of the hazards if pollution. But now, they are starting to take steps to preserve their natural resources, to lower their pollution and to preserve their trees. These things that they do are not very difficult, it is also not expensive which means this can be done, our natural resources can be preserved, we can lower pollution and we can take care of our trees, we just need the will and the effort. Must we face the problems head on first before we make a solution? Prevention is better that cure.
