DESTROYING THE FOREST IS DESTROYING A CHANCE - BY PAUL

"The worst thing that can happen during the 1980's is not energy depletion, economic collapses, limited nuclear war, or conquest by a totalitarian government. As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired within a few generations. The one process ongoing in the 1980's that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly that our descendants are least likely to forgive us for." Biologist, Edward O. Wilson

This quote explains that nuclear war, economic collapses, and energy depletion is not the worst that can happen. They can be rebuilt within generations. It is the depletion of the forests and natural habitats, it could take millions of years to correct this ongoing loss. And the descendants to the area will not forgive us.
Destroying the Amazonian Rainforest is like destroying a chance to save many lives. The Rainforest is being destituted at an alarming rate, even though many plants and animals are yet to be discovered. These plants could contain cures for cancer, AIDS and many other diseases. What are we destroying it for? It's blighted for farms and cattle ranches that do not even supply enough produce or beef, because the land becomes a desert after two years. Many people don't know the repercussion that can exist by destroying the rainforest, and if the deforestation continues, the lungs of our planet will be disintegrated and there will be nothing that we can do about it. Scientists say that by leaving the forest intact and cognizant, by harvesting the forest’s nuts, fruits and oil producing plants is more economic thanannexation in the forest for cattle ranches. Statistics show that when rainforest land is converted to become cattle ranches the land yields the owner approximately $60 per acre, but when the land is harvested for timber it is worth approximately $400 per acre. However if the rainforests renewable and sustainable commodities were harvested, it would supply the land owner with $2400, 6 times as much as if the land were only harvested for lumber. So, with this information, having the rainforest intact does provide benefits for the farmers and landowners with far more uses than just wood. The forest is a crucial part of the functioning in the world. It can change the weather patterns, along with that, the Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen, where it justified its name as “The Lungs of Our Planet”. The rainforest has provided cures for diseases, such as Aspirin, a drug used for headaches and as a pain reliever. At least 80% of the worlds diet originated from the Amazon forest as it is plentifully filled with fruits such as avocado’s, coconuts, oranges, bananas, pineapples, tomatoes and much more, these are a very large part of the North American diet. More than half of the world’s estimated 10 million species live in the Amazon rainforest and one fifth of the world’s fresh water is also provided by the Amazon basin. I don’t believe that we should waste all of this fragile life for anything, much less a few cattle ranches.

More than ten million hectares of Amazonian forest has been cleared in a period of five years. At this rate, scientists predict that less than 5% of the forest will be left by the year 2020, and the whole forest will be exhausted by the year 2040. Along with this, the Brazilian government plans to spend $40 billion on housing extrapolate, hydroelectric projects and highways/railways through the Amazon Basin. With that, the forest will be further destroyed because of bad choices by the government.

Once those trees are cut and taken out of the forest, the soil will be easily eroded by wind or water, and this will make it unable to grow any other plants. The soil is not very fertile in the Amazon Basin, which gives it no chance to reproduce trees in the area. Railways and hydroelectric projects are somewhat needed but can be built around the forest. Why aren’t they? Many people don’t realize what is happening to the forest. It is being destroyed because of the value of its land. The logging congregation perceive the land only as timber, along with multi-national logging companies and farmers. They see the land as space for filling their own pockets with money, without a worry about the planet. Twenty five percent of pharmacy drugs arrive from the Amazon Basin, and help many people around the world to live a salubrious lifestyle and to be able to survive. Without the drugs many people would be ailing, and would not be able enjoy the life that they procure. For example, the U.S. National Cancer Institute has found over 3000 active plants that can fight against cancer and other life threatening diseases. For example the periwinkle has affixed the survival rate for acute childhood leukemia. With these companies destructing the forest, we are also losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species an hour. Any of these could contain the ingredient to cure AIDS, cancer, or some other noxious disease. Over millions of years the Amazon rainforest has become the most primary of forests across the world. The biodiversity of the forest is compressed with living organisms that only 1% of its millions of species have been discovered. We are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are dawning to appreciate their true value and what significance they have. Rainforests used to cover 14% of the earth’s surface, and now they cover a about 6%. Scientists also estimate that in 40 years there will be no rainforest left. One and a half acres of rainforest are lost every second. Nearly half of the Rainforests plant and animal species will be lost in a quarter of a century. Even now the undiscovered plant and animal species have little chance of being divulged due to the alarming deforestation rate. Many people do not realize how much is being diminished every single day, which will affect cures for any kind of disease.