Luke Wright

Self-Directed
Deforestation, Rainforests, and Austin
At the current rate of deforestation, the worlds rainforests will be completely
gone within 100 years (Deforestation Nat. Geo.). I have spent much time over the past
two years thinking about that, and trying to help prevent it. Deforestation is something
many of us understand is an issue, but it can be difficult to see how it effects us here in
Austin or how our actions directly impact it; yet decisions we make every day have
direct consequences for the worlds rainforests, the people and animals who live there,
our climate, and the future of our planet.
Rainforests are the most biodiverse regions of land on the planet. These forests
provide much of the planets oxygen, regulate weather cycles, provide many critical
ingredients for medicine, and play a critical role in preventing climate change by
providing one of the worlds largest carbon sinks. Global deforestation releases more
greenhouse gases every year than all the cars, planes, trains, ships, and other forms of
transportation combined (Emissions data). Preventing deforestation and preserving our
climate are directly linked causes. Rainforests are critical to our global climate, so many
question why we are cutting such large swaths of them down every day.
There are a handful of causes of global deforestation that are responsible for the
majority of deforestation happening. The largest cause of deforestation is the
conversion of tropical rainforest to farm and pasture land, often through slash and burn
methods that produce greater amounts of carbon and permanently harm the land trees
once covered (Causes of Deforestation). Much of the agriculture is driven by large
international corporations harvesting soy beans, cattle, and palm oil (Causes of
Deforestation). In the last 50 years, 17% of the Amazon rainforest has been lost, mostly
due to cattle ranching (Threats: Deforestation).
Though cattle ranching in the Amazon may feel like a distant issue, our decisions
here in Austin have direct impact on global rainforests. For example, the beef used in
many chain restaurants and across much of the U.S. is raised on cattle ranches in the
Amazon. By reducing consumption of meat, we can directly benefit rainforests.
Similarly, many junk food products in the U.S. are made using palm oil that is farmed in
unsustainable ways. In addition to concerns over the land the palm oil is being grown
on, there have been concerns over human trafficking in relation to the harvesting of
palm oil. Although several of the largest palm oil suppliers in the U.S. have committed to
improving their sustainability over the past several months, the easiest and most reliable
way to assure that ones food is not contributing to deforestation of Indonesian
rainforests is to avoid products containing palm oil.
Deforestation can feel like an overwhelming issue with no clear ways for us to
help. However, the underlying causes of deforestation are relatively simple and our
actions have impacts on those causes. By changing some simple habits and behaviors
we can benefit our world, reduce our carbon footprint, and help ensure the world
remains a beautiful, diverse place.

Works Cited
"Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation" National
Geographic. National Geographic. Web. 09 May 2014.
"Global Emissions." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 09 May 2014.
"Tropical Deforestation." Earth Observatory. NASA. Web. 09 May 2014.