What/who is deforestation affecting?

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When people hear about deforestation, their first thought is usually "Those poor animals, they're losing their homes! How sad." However, they don't usually stop to ask about how deforestation is affecting them. Most people do not stop to ask because they know it's far away from where they live so there can't be any way it affects them, right? Wrong! Deforestation affects everyone all over the world! Cutting down trees is not only taking away the homes for thousands of animals, it could potentially take away our homes in the future.

So many innocent animals call the rainforest floor their home. There are also thousands of animals that live up in the trees, too. If people cut down their homes, they will have nowhere to go and will die and their species will eventually go extinct. When tree companies cut down thousands of trees today, there is a huge impact on the ecosystem. “The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species” says National Geographic. “70% of Earth’s land animals live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes...Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night. This disruption leads to more extreme temperatures swings that can be harmful to plants and animals.” As we cut down trees for our benefit, and homes, we are ripping away millions of animal’s homes away from them every single day.

However, deforestation also affects us, here, close to home. According to National Geographic, “deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly dry out.” Cutting down trees is affecting the climate, making for warmer and warmer seasons every year. The article also stated, “trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fill these roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts.” Without the trees there, we are ruining the forest and our Earth. “Trees play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming.” As we continue to cut down rainforest after rainforest, keep this in mind; you are ruining their world, and you are ruining yours too.

My next research question: How expensive does it cost in total to cut down trees in tropical rainforests?