GP INDIVIDUAL REPORT

Center Number: PK 243

CANDIDATE NUMBER:

Candidate name: Muhammad Aahmad

Topic: Biodiversity and ecosystem loss

Research question:

Is deforestation justified to deal with the demands of the increasing population in the modern era?

Introduction:

Deforestation is the act of cutting down trees for a purpose such as to make space for agricultural, animal grazing, and to obtain wood from fuel, manufacturing and construction. This is a report into the causes and effects of deforestation and is deforestation justified or not. Climate change is regarded as one of the most major global issues in the world and deforestation is one major cause for it. This report delves into the two main sides of this debate-one side arguing that deforestation is justified and the other side saying that deforestation is a major issue and cant continue to happen.

For:

Deforestation is continuously growing because of the fact that there is an increase in demand for food as the population is growing and more food is needed to fulfill the demands of the population. To meet this demand a drastic increase in livestock farming is seen. This also means that there will be a marked increase in grazing which basically means animals feeding on the soil to get their nutrition. This would lead to more land available is being used for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes. Therefore to

The problem of shortage of grazing grounds can be dealt with as the government can restrict a specific area and designate it specifically for grazing and nothing else. Moreover strict measures such as fines and enforcement of laws can be taken by governments to limit the problem of overgrazing etc. Moreover farmers can be educated about the effects caused by deforestation and how harmful their actions can be towards the environment. In addition, afforestation plans can be started and be put into immediate action to counter the problem of deforestation as a a whole as one tree can be planted for every tree that's cut down. In this way it would be a sustainable solution to the problem of deforestation. Moreover, to counter the growing problem of population growth and land needed for shelter, apartments can be built as it is cheaper to build vertically and more sustainable towards the environment.

Comparison between for points:

Overgrazing and lack of grazing grounds are local issues as livestock farming in mostly practiced in 3rd world countries where resources are not in abundance and hence their main source of income is though agricultural activities such as pakistan.Its also easier to deal with this issue as designated lands can be given and laws can implemented to stop overgrazing. Moreover this does not have a huge global impact. However population growth is much harder to deal with as it has already increased over 6 billion since 1950 and the numbers continue to increase. Moreover this is also a global issue as it affects the whole world and it is very difficult to control population growth as many people are illiterate and have unplanned families. Moreover some parents have kids to later put them in child labour and earn money off them which in their eyes is seen as business. Furthermore it is not possible to disregard the rights of billions of people and let them suffer without working for them. Therefore I conclude that population growth is a much more important reason than lack of grazing grounds contributing to deforestation.

Against:

The impact of deforestation on human lives is not considerable yet but it is predicted that in 2030 global warming will be below 2°C as trees level co2 levels in the atmosphere as they provide oxygen and take in carbon dioxide to in turn make their food and produce more oxygen. Studies show that forests could provide more than 1/3 of the total carbon dioxide reductions required to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. If global warming stays as it is right now and stays the same for the next few years then all of the world's glaciers would start to melt. This would cause heavy flooding and most sources of water for mankind would be depleted. These floods would destroy civilizations at once. Moreover deforestation causes flooding as trees regulate the water flow in rivers and when there are less trees there will be a higher chance of flood. Moreover, forests soak up extensive rainwater which prevents runoff and saves the damage from flooding. However when forests are cut there is nothing that sucks up extensive rainwater and flooding is more common in areas that have less to no forests/trees.

Moreover, forests are essentially the homes of many animals such as Elephants who help humans as they store significant amounts of carbon in their dung which when enters the soil acts as a fertilizer and also prevents greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere. This also helps regulate the greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere which helps improve the climate and living conditions of humans. Forests play an important part in this animals life as it is a habitat for him and when forests are gone these animals have nowhere to go as elephants can't live on the roads or rooftops as it is not suitable enough for it. Therefore this animal will be on the verge of extinction and therefore there will be more greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

Comparison between against points:

Flooding and soil erosion is a local issue and does not have much effect on global countries whether it being any country. It’s also easier to take preventive measures beforehand, calculating the flood pattern over the years and the variability. However global warming is much harder to deal with as it has already caused great damage to the glaciers of the world. If one glacier melts it affects server countries and especially the northern areas unlike floods.. Animals can be put in zoos and saved but this cannot happen with glaciers. There is no so-called “zoo” for them. Renewable resources are plenty and humans have a lot of time to capitalize on them but global warming is happening right now and if measures aren’t taken at this moment to prevent global warming, then in the next few years, we can look at worldwide catastrophe and possible world destruction.

Conclusion/overview

Before my research I was supportive of deforestation as I did not see many harms of it and looked only at the possible benefits it could bring, looking at the situation with a naked eye. However after my research I got an idea about how major the threats on deforestation are making me understand the legitimate value of the problem. I found out more about the harms related to deforestation and how it heavily impacts the environment and what effect it will have on humans and the world in the coming years. This made me consider organizations such as the WHO and UNICEF who view the issue more deeply etc. Researching into personal perspectives made me see how most of the population is illiterate and most of the people actually cutting down trees are small subsistence farmers that are not educated enough on this issue. This made me realize that its not their fault but its the governments fault who didn't take the liberty of teaching them these basic rules before letting them start to farm.

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