Comprehensive Analysis: Deforestation as a Global Sustainability Issue

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of deforestation as a global sustainability issue, addressing its environmental, social, and economic elements. It identifies major ethical problems associated with deforestation, drawing on utilitarianism and Kantian ethics to evaluate its morality. The essay also explores the threats and opportunities deforestation presents to businesses and proposes ethical and sustainable solutions, including green business practices, eco-forestry, community forestry, reforestation, and land use planning. The analysis emphasizes the need for balancing economic development with environmental preservation to mitigate the negative impacts of deforestation and promote long-term sustainability. Desklib provides this and many other solved assignments to help students in their academic journey.

Running head: DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
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1DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
Answer to question 1.
Deforestation is one of the most important and burning global sustainability issue
which has a far reaching effect on the environment, human society and the economy of the
world.
Answer to question 2.
As deforestation is itself the degradation of nature, therefore, it has various
environmental factors they either contribute to the emergence of sustainably issues or get
affected by deforestation action. The chief environmental elements are related with logging,
land and most importantly the forest fires as well as various natural disasters (Houghton,
Byers and Nassikas 2015). Due to logging the forests are being cut down which results in the
loss of natural habitats of the animal and bird species. The climate change of the place leads
to desertification of the land which leads to natural deforestation. Due to natural disasters as
well as wild forests fires can lead to deforestation. These factors can act as the causes of
deforestation in one hand and can be the result of it. Due to deforestation by human beings,
the land and climate are being affected directly. Deforestation results in growth of global
warming and natural disaster (Spracklen et al. 2015). Deforestation results in soil erosion
which ultimately affect the human survival.
Answer to question 3.
Deforestation has many social elements which are mainly related with the survival of
the human society. The first element is related with the agricultural activities that is essential
for the existence of human beings (Barber et al. 2014). It is being amplified by cattle rearing
also. In order to accommodate more people, the forest is being cut down where people are
being settled. In order to cater the overgrowing demand of food products a huge numbers of

2DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
tress are being fallen down thus grow crops. Similarly, many of the governments in this
current economic setting want to industrialise their countries hence the clearing of land
becomes mandatory. These countries are following the method of deforestation and thus
promoting industrialisation as well as urbanisation in their places. In this aspect the people
who survive on the forests can be referred (Soares-Filho et al. 2014). Due to deforestation
these aboriginals lose their safe haven. They collect food, fuel and other factors regularly to
live. Deforestation eliminates their access to the forest as well as their regular assortment
from forest are barred.
Answer to question 4.
The economic elements of deforestation are far reaching. The process of cattle rearing,
agriculture and industrialisation are important for the economic development of the country.
Moreover, many of the industries like logging, tourism and mining are needed for financial
growth for which deforestation becomes mandatory (Tapia-Armijos et al. 2015). These
industries create the scope of job for the employees. Therefore, through most of the
environmentalists ascribe with the fact that the deforestation ultimately affecting the human
being in all aspect, the industrialists do not support this idea. On the contrary, these
environmentalists point out the fact that the forest products industry play a vital role in the
economy in both the developed as well as the developing countries. Hence economic factors
associated with deforestation can never be neglected (Murray et al. 2015)
Answer to question 5.
Regarding the issue of deforestation, the two main ethical problems are killing of
billions of animals through destruction of their habitats and eliminating the only way to save
the earth from global warming (Worldwildlife.org 2018).

3DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
Answer to question 6.
An ethical issue ca be defined as the problem which requires to choose between the
right or ethical and wrong that is unethical. In discussing the ethical or unethical stand point
of deforestation, two major ethical theories can be discussed. One of which is utilitarianism
and another one is Kantian theory of ethics (Mill 2016). The utilitarianism theory can be used
to judge the ethicality of deforestation whether it is right or wrong. In order to judge the
action, the theorist has asked to relate it with its outcome. Therefore, it can be said that the
action will be right only if the outcome leads to the happiness of the greater number of folks.
In the imposition of utilitarian theory in the ethical question of deforestation, one can find
that deforestation actually harms the most of the subjects by benefitting much less. Through
the method of deforestation, human being actually affecting the natural balance as most of the
animal species along with plants is being affected. The climate change is affecting entire
ecology of the earth reducing bio-diversity of any place. It affects the lives of the people
living on the forest negatively only to serve a few. Therefore, deforestation is unethical
according to the utilitarian theory hence must not be supported.
According to Kantian theory, deforestation is not supported. To this particular ethical
theory, rational nature has the absolute as well as the conditional value (Pogge 2017). Some
critics think that this theory would allow the exploitation of natural world as to them, if only
the rational nature counts as the end in itself then each of the related things can be used as the
means of the end. To this theory, the persons cannot have a good will unless they show
concern for the welfare of the non-rational things. Therefore, the deforestation cannot be
ethical as it opposes the values the natural world. To Kant, the human beings need to take
care of the animals and plants equally and prevent any type of exploitation to them but
deforestation results in the destruction of numerous plant and animal species hence this

4DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
theory also views deforestation to be illogical and completely unethical. It is unethical as due
to serve the interest of the human beings, the nature becomes the scapegoat. In the excuses of
urbanisation and industrialisation, they are cutting trees and harming the biodiversity and
polluting their own atmosphere.
Answer to question 7.
As the business is spreading globally, the industrialisation has becoming more popular
for the economic growth. Due to globalisation and industrialisation, the actual sacrifices are
given by the silent nature. Now various critics have various perspectives to see the outcomes
and necessity of this sustainability issue of deforestation (Keenan et al. 2015). As forestation
directly opposes the spread and growth of business in the countries, this action has some
threats and opportunities. The opportunities of deforestation incudes urbanisation,
development of industries and the growth of economy but the threats have far reaching effect
on the survival of this planets. First of all, forest is the place to provide food, fresh water,
clothing, traditional medicine and shelter to the human beings (Chazdon 2014). It assures the
reduction of natural disasters and climate change issues. Forestation balances ecological
diversity which is mandatory for the maintenance of the life of earth but deforestation
destroys all these positive aspects. Animals cannot survive without Oxygen and other
elements balanced by the forests. Hence economic growth through business will not have any
effect if the elements of the earth gets hampered.
Answer to question 6.
As the issue of deforestation is unethical and irrational for the survival of earth, there
must be some initiatives to secure the interests of the silent nature.

5DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
Firstly, the business must be green which concerns the methods of reusing and recycling. By
reusing the use of artificial objects which directly harm the nature, the business can adopt the
use of recycled objects for the business in one hand and promote green consumerism (Brandt,
Nolte and Agrawal 2016). This will reduce dependence of natural resources and tree in the
production.
Secondly, Eco forestry can be used when there is a need of open space for industrialisation.
In this method, the trees are cut down in an environmentally friendly manner which reduce
the negative effect of deforestation.
Thirdly, the community forestry will help to start the localized tree plantation programs as
well as management of the local forests. The effect of reforestation in the local area can be
minimised through this method. This can be completed within the adjacent areas as the
method of advancing environmental sustainability as well as keeping the forests of the region
more viable.
Fourthly, reforestation is just the opposite of deforestation the common people, communities,
regional or national governments and all types of organizations can be its active actors.
Reforestation id the restoration of the forests that had been affected by fire and felling.
Fifthly, through educative campaign the wariness about deforestation can be raised. This
education will allow the common people to perceive the cause, effect and the ways of
countering deforestation (Worldwildlife.org 2018). The personal experiences from harmfully
affected the communities like the farmers and the people living on forests can be utilised to
highlight the negative impacts of deforestation.
Finally, the proper land use planning to balance urbanisation, agriculture and forestry can be
applied to mitigate these issues of sustainability of deforestation. Land usage planning which

6DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
centres round the environment friendly development methods such as the urban agriculture
and decreasing urban or suburban extension can significantly reduce deforestation.

7DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
References:
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deforestation, and the mitigating effect of protected areas in the Amazon. Biological
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Brandt, J.S., Nolte, C. and Agrawal, A., 2016. Deforestation and timber production in Congo
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Chazdon, R.L., 2014. Second growth: the promise of tropical forest regeneration in an age of
deforestation. University of Chicago Press.
Houghton, R.A., Byers, B. and Nassikas, A.A., 2015. A role for tropical forests in stabilizing
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8DEFORESTATION AS A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
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Worldwildlife.org (2018). Deforestation | Threats | WWF. [online] World Wildlife Fund.
Available at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation [Accessed 26 May 2018].