Introduction
The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America’s Amazon basin, with the majority of the forest found in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. However, the whole forest territory covers six other nations. In total, the Amazon rainforest covers nine nations. Due to the biodiversity of the Amazon, its destruction would pose a great threat to the lives of individuals who are dependent on it and the ecosystem around this rainforest. In addition, an increasing number of countries would also be affected by the destruction of the Amazon rainforest due to the interrelationship between humanity and the general ecosystem (Nepstad, 2007, p. 1)
Issues Leading to the Destruction of the Amazon rain Forest
Forest destruction in the Amazon has been a continuing phenomenon despite the awareness that has been created regarding this issue. Thus far, many reasons have been put forth as to why the destruction is taking place. The most notable reasons that have led to the destruction of the Amazon include climate change, agriculture, infrastructure development, and industrial development.
Climate Change
Also known as global warming, climate change is a major contributing factor to the destruction of rainforests, and the Amazon is no exception. According to Clemmitt, scientists are of the view that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels attributed to continued human activities have resulted in rising global temperatures. The implication then is that the earth has become warmer (2006, p. 73). The Amazon contributes in a major way to the issue of global warming, and yet the prevailing climatic conditions still pose a threat to its destruction. The Amazon, through its forest cover, consumes most of the heat that comes from the earth, thereby preventing it from reaching the atmosphere. This way, the Amazon helps in the control of climate conditions. It also acts as a reservoir for carbon emissions emanating from human activity. Furthermore, the Amazon drains most of its rivers to the Atlantic Ocean (Nepstad, 2007, p. 7, thereby helping to cool temperatures in the surrounding areas. Its destruction, therefore, means that rainfall levels and the climate in such far areas as Texas will also be affected.
Agriculture
Deforestation with a view to creating space for agricultural activities has become rampant over the years, with people and their governments hiding behind the shield of economic growth that results from such activities. For example, in the period between 1993 and 1998, Brazil made major economic growth. These five years also coincided with the period in which great destruction occurred to the Brazilian Amazon (Butler, 2008, para. 2). Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is mainly a result of cattle ranching and commercial farming, where large tracks of land are cleared for the planting of pasture for cattle, the establishment of ranches, as well as subsistence and commercial plantations. The export of meat products from this region is already a booming business, with Argentina and Brazil ranked amongst the leading beef exporters in the world (Butler, 2008, para. 2). The same case applies to land for commercial agriculture where the Brazilian government encourages settlement in the Amazon by squatter families.
Infrastructure Development and Industrial Development
The Amazon also faces destruction as a result of the growth of industries and the quest for infrastructure development by nations. These include transport systems with road networks being created within the rainforest. The need for such infrastructure is brought about by the occupation of the forest by people. The logging industry poses the biggest threat to the forest, with both legal and illegal logging taking place. As other industries such as the mining and fuel industry are also actively involved in the destruction of the Amazon, the destruction of the forest may be expected to continue in coming years (Adario, 2010, para. 1-2). According to Barbosa, these industries gain economically at the expense of the forest, yet governments remain reluctant to end this destruction as the capital gains and economic stability also find their way to the (2000, p. 65)
Conclusion
The interrelationship between nature and life is lost to the majority of humanity, and as such, they continue to destroy the same nature that provides for them. Conservation of the Amazon forest will result in the stabilization of the world’s climate, in effect leading to the conservation of the forest. Several measures have already been put in place in a bid to prevent some of the factors leading to the destruction of the world’s forest cover. One of the most notable measures is the Kyoto Protocol. Nonetheless, the major stakeholders are still evading the issue and, in some cases playing politics with it. Stringent legal measures have also been put in place for people found destroying forests also enforcing these laws still remains weak. There is an urgent need, therefore, to strictly enforce laws that will help in the preservation of such world forest covers as the Amazon.
Reference
Adario, P. (2010). Threats and Solutions. Web.
Barbosa, L. C. (2000). The Brazilian Amazon Rainforest: Global Ecopolitics, Development and Democracy. Maryland: University Press of America. Web.
Butler, R. (2008). Deforestation in the Amazon: Why is the Brazilian Amazon Being Destroyed? Web.
Clemmitt, M. (2006). Climate Change: Is Tougher Action Needed to Slow Rising Temperatures? Washington: Congressional Quarterly Inc. Web.
Nepstad, D. C. (2007). The Amazon’s Vicious Cycles. Switzerland: WWF International. Web.