Rate of Deforestation in Brazil

The following sample essay talks about the rate of deforestation in Brazil. To read the introduction, body, and conclusion of the essay, scroll down.

In Brazil, the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is a very big issue. In this report I will explain the connections of the deforestation to the Brazilian environment and economic development, and for extra reference I will relate these to the included map. The deforestation of the Amazon seems to be necessary to economic development in Brazil.

Along with this, sadly the Amazon rainforest is being demolished at a alarming rate and it is causing major environmental issues including loss of bio-diversity, decreased hardwoods, world climate change and many others.

To the indigenous people, the Amazon is a source of incalculable water, carbon sequestering, and it is very bio-diverse. When it is being deforested then all of the resources that it provides get smaller and smaller until there is eventually going to be nothing left. An article in National Geographic states “During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down, more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began.

(Wallace) ” This fact, along with the shown deforestation on the included map should help you realize the mass of rainforest that is being cut down.

Deforestation comes with a price though, the environment. Brazil is loosing precious hardwoods, bio-diversity and soil everyday but the largest problem continues to be carbon emissions. “Deforestation, a critical contributor to climate change, effectively accounts for 20 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and 70 percent of the emissions in Brazil.

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Halting new deforestation, experts say, is as powerful a way to combat warming as closing the world’s coal plants. (New York Times, 2009)” Brazil’s environment is being destroyed by deforestation and the global environment is being effected just as bad.

If you look at the checkered areas on the map you will see the parts of the Amazon that are already deforested and no longer there, the spotted areas are old deforestation hot spots and the striped areas are the relatively new hotspots. At the rate that the rainforest is being cleared you can expect all these areas to grow by probably 50% by next year. Geography professor Robert Walker from Michigan State university says “80 to 90 percent of all cleared land in the region (the Brazilian Amazon) is attributable to some form of pasture or ranching. Cattle ranching is a huge part of Brazil’s economy and one of the main reasons why deforestation continues at such a rapid pace today. The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is directly connected to the overall economic development of Brazil. Brazil’s economy depends on the rainforest for things such as medicines, hardwoods, fruits and nuts, food and other resources that are collected and exported all over the world. The logging industry is one of the largest reasons that Brazil’s forests are being destroyed.

The wood is being collected and shipped off around the world. This is helping the Brazilian economy grow and become part of a global market. In the article Logging in the Amazon the writer tells us “Huge majestic trees like the Samauma, also known as the “Queen of the Forest”, are being exploited to make cheap plywood for construction industries in the US, Japan and Europe. (2005)” this is just one example of the many uses of the wood collected from the Amazon. Along with logging another economic reason the Amazon is being destroyed is for cattle farming (beef industry).

The forest is being rapidly cleared to make more room for pastures for cattle to graze in. The article Deforestation in the Amazon states that “between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of Europe’s processed meat imports that came from Brazil rose from 40 to 74 percent” and by 2003 “for the first time ever, the growth in Brazilian cattle production—80 percent of which was in the Amazon—was largely export driven. (Butler)” And more cattle means more deforestation. But it is also a huge income source for Brazil and a main factor in their economic growth.

An online article by Rhett Butler states “Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economic health of the country: the decline in deforestation from 1988-1991 nicely matched the economic slowdown during the same period, while the rocketing rate of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled Brazil’s period of rapid economic growth. ” This clearly shows how directly correlated the deforestation of the Amazon is with the economic development of Brazil. There is a major connection between the deforestation of the Amazon and Brazil’s environment and economic growth.

Like I said earlier the deforestation is constantly changing Brazil’s environment. The loss of bio-diversity, hard-woods, and the constant carbon emissions coming out of brazil are going to keep on growing effecting the entire world. Although the deforestation of the Amazon is not good for the environment it directly impacts Brazil’s economic development by providing a source of income and trade partners through major industries such as logging and cattle farming. Butler, R. (n. d. ). Deforestation in the amazon.