By Marcela J F, Grade 8 C

This picture, taken near Tamil Nadu, shows an area of land that has been cleared for industrial purposes. This land was, most likely, a part of a forest previously.
Deforestation is a critical issue in today’s times. With increasing rate of global warming and unusual climate change, deforestation is something we cannot turn a blind eye to. There are many long – term methods to reduce global warming and pollution, but the immediate action we can take to battle this is to maintain or increase the forest cover (or number of trees) in our location.

It is not solely the responsibility of the government to protect the forests; rather, it takes the personal initiative of every citizen to actually make a significant change. It is in our best interest to prevent or, at the very least, reduce deforestation in our society. A minimal level of land clearing would be acceptable if the society or government was proactive about regrowing the lost plant cover.
Trees and forests provide for the country in indispensable ways. It is our obligation to preserve these precious resources.
Aside from the impact that deforestation has on global warming and pollution, it also affects the environment in terms of habitat loss. The clearing of forests directly impacts the animal ecosystem negatively. The simple act of cutting one tree causes serious repercussions in the environment – consequences that our established society ultimately is going to face.
Development is a positive step but should not be pursued unnecessarily at the cost of our much needed environment.