Deforestation is a big problem to our society, Deforestation is the clearing of large masses of land. You are probably wondering why this is such an issue, it is an issue because deforestation is killing biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of life in a habitat or ecosystem. Deforestation should be stopped because it is causing soil erosion that can lead to many other issues, killing plant and animal life, and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. DId you know that nearly 36 football fields worth of land is cleared every minute (WWF)?
First of all, soil erosion is caused by many things including deforestation.  Soil erosion is the wearing away of a land’s top soil. Without trees, the soil is free to wash or blow away, which.can lead to vegetation growth problems“It has lead to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers.” This shows that when the soil gets into streams it can cause so many problems and it all starts with things like deforestation. “Degradable lands are also less likely to hold water, which can worsen flooding.”

Next, deforestation is causing plants and animals to die off. Animals have three choices when their habitat is tampered with, they either move away, adapt, or die off.  “Seventy percent of the world’s of the world's plant and animal population live in forests and are losing their habitats to deforestation.” This shows that when you start cutting down trees you are messing with 70% of plants and animal populations. “The Amazon contains millions of species, most of them still undescribed, and some of the world's most unusual wildlife.” This shows that many of these animals could be at stake.

. “Loss of habitats can lead to species extinction” When people cut down forests they could also be causing extinction for some animal or plant species.

Also, Deforestation is releasing greenhouse gases into the air. The primary greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. “If greenhouse gases are in large quantity, they can force climate change.” This shows that deforestation can lead to climate change. ( Climate change can kill crops).  “300 billion tons of carbon, 40 times the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, is stored in trees” (That is a lot of carbon)  “Deforestation releases nearly a billion tons of carbon per year.” Humans and animals don’t need carbon to breath. We need oxygen, but when we cut down trees we are putting carbon in the air and taking away one of the things that give us oxygen.

Others may say that we can just replant more trees and that we need the wood for building houses, furniture, and a whole bunch of other things, but replanting trees isn’t gonna unkill every plant and animal. It’s not gonna take back all the soil it released into streams and rivers. And would you rather have those things or have good oxygen to breath?

In conclusion, People should not clear large amounts of land because they are eroding soil, killing biodiversity, and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Do you really wanna kill innocent lives just so you can have things like paper?

Works Cited
Bradford, By Alina. "Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 04 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 May 2016.
"Soil Erosion and Degradation." WorldWildlife. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 13 May 2016.