Ethics and Sustainability Analysis on Deforestation

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Ethics and Sustainability Analysis
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Date:

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1. Select one important sustainability issue of global significance and express this
issue in no more than one short sentence (2 marks)
Deforestation refers to the process of clearing virgin forests or intentional destruction of trees
and other vegetation for the purpose of housing, commercial, agriculture of firewood without
planting others or allowing time for the forest to regenerate itself.
2. Describe the main environmental elements of deforestation (5 marks).
Deforestation is a global issue which is caused by the rapid growth of the world which
presents the need for more space for development and commercial activities. The
environmental elements of deforestation include the causes such as agricultural activities,
mining, and it is an aspect which has been there since times in memorial but it has increased
rapidly over the last 50 years owing to the growing population. The aspect causes various
effects such as causing soil erosion through wind and water which leaves the land bare and
unable to support healthy plant growth. This means that various crops will not grow and this
poses a threat to human food security. Clearing of trees also promotes floods whenever a
there is a heavy downpour as there are no trees to absorb much of the water. Crops and
human life are destroyed by floods while many people are left without homesteads (Sovacool,
2012, pg. 235). Deforestation causes depletion of the ozone layer as there are no trees to hold
the harmful gases emitted from the factories. This leads to the release of ultraviolet radiation
which causes various health-related problems. Other effects include:
Increased Greenhouse Gases
Trees trap most of the carbon dioxide released to the environment hence deforestation makes
the gases to be released into the atmosphere. This poses a negative impact on the human
beings who also lack the oxygen gotten from the trees (Samii et al, 2014, pg. 98).
Lack of Atmospheric Water
The trees regulate the amount of water in the atmosphere. Thus, deforestation makes less

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water to be left in the air which should be returned to the soil to support the growth of crops
used for food. This makes the soil drier and unable to support the growth of crops which
poses a threat to food security.
3. Describe the critical social elements of deforestation
There are various social origins and impacts of deforestation and also social ideas on
how to stop the scenario. Poverty can contribute to deforestation in various ways. For
instance, the poor farmers may need to clear more land and sell it in order to acquire capital
and buy the inputs required to invest in their lands to produce more of their agricultural crops
(Desbureaux & Brimont, 2015, pg. 18). Some also cut down trees to burn charcoal which
they sell to afford catering for their needs. Deforestation has enabled the production of more
food through agricultural activities hence leading to an increase in the population growth.
This rise in population leads to the demand for more land for habitation and other natural
resources (Clark, 2012, pg. 69). This competition plays a role in contributing to social evils
such as land grabbing and violence as people fight over resources hence destroying peace in
the society.
The social impacts of deforestation include the rise in the rate of urbanization. As more
trees are cut down in the rural areas, the land is left unproductive due to soil erosion. This
leaves the cities to be the only place with more concentration of economic opportunities
hence more people migrate there in search of better opportunities. This also increases the
social evils which come along urbanization such as theft, rape cases, murder, and burglary
cases as people lack the opportunities they hoped to get.
Many people in the world rely on forests for hunting, small-scale agriculture, and
gathering. Deforestation disrupts the lives of such people as they are no longer able to carry
out such activities. In areas where land tenure systems are weak, social conflicts and
migration have been caused by deforestation. Additionally, the poor people are largely