Know in detail about deforestation its causes and consequences. Learn more about overexploitation of Forests
Due to overpopulation, the materials abounding by the forest are not sufficient to meet the people’s demands. Hence, the overexploitation of forest materials has increased day by day. This leads to deforestation.
Deforestation:
The conversion of forested areas to non-forest is deforestation. Deforestation is the process of removal of forest resources due to natural or human activities. Agricultural land, golf courses, cattle pasture, mining, and petroleum exploration all contribute to human-caused deforestation. Tsunamis, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, glaciations, and desertification are all-natural deforestation. Deforestation is a formidable threat to the quality of life, the country’s economy, and future development. Deforestation leads to desertification.
Overexploitation of Forests
Causes for Deforestation: The leading causes of deforestation are as follows.
Shifting or Jhum cultivation: It is a traditional agroforestry system extensively practised in the northeastern region of our country. It involves chopping and burning forests followed by the cultivation of crops for a few years and abandoning reforestation.
Loss of species diversity: Many of the species are susceptible to even small disturbances or changes. The plants get affected, and also the animals which depend on these plants for food for survival become extinct sooner.
Loss of Medicinal value: Deforestation leads to the loss of medicinal extracts from plants and animals. Hence people have a high chance of diseases that cannot be cured easily.
Tribal life: Deforestation threatens the life of tribal people whose culture and survival depend upon the forests.
Increased Soil erosion: Deforestation causes increased soil erosion, which leads to landslides, flash floods and faster run-off of rainwater.
Food problems: As a result of soil erosion, countries lose food grain.
Affects rainfall: The pattern of rainfall get changed in deforested areas. The climate has become warmer due to the lack of humidity in the deforested regions.
Increases Environmental pollution: Deforestation leads to an increase in environmental pollution like air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution.
Affects Tourism: Loss of future markets for ecotourism.
Know in detail about the forest resources and their types in this quick 2 mins read
India’s Forest Cover is 21% of the geographic area. Scientists assess that India should ideally have 33% of its land under forests. Today we have about 12% shortage of requirement. Thus, we need not only to safeguard our existing forests but also to increase our forest cover.
Types of forests
These are classified into three major types.
Evergreen forest: They are found in the equatorial regions where the annual average rainfall is exceedingly high. Due to heavy rainfall throughout the year, these forests are evergreen. Ex: Silent valley in Kerala. Trees: Teak, Mahogany, Rosewood
Deciduous forest: These forests are generally found in the tropical monsoon. Trees: Pillaimaruthu, sandalwood. These forests are of two types.
Tropical deciduous forest: As these forests receive only seasonal rainfall, they shed their leaves in the summer monsoon.
Temperature deciduous forest: Due to severe winter with heavy snowfall, the trees shed their leaves just before the winter season.
Coniferous forest: The snow slides down the sloping sides of the trees. The needle-type leaves preserve the moisture. Trees: Pine tree, spruce tree.
Forest Resources
Uses of Forests
Forests have the following functions and show ecological significances.
Commercial uses: Man depends heavily on a more significant number of plant and animal products from forests for his daily needs.The principal product that forests supply is wood, which is used as fuel, a raw material for numerous industries as pulp, paper, newsprint, board, timber for furniture items, other uses as in packing articles, matches, sports goods. Forests also supply minor products like rubber, fibres.Many of the plants are utilized in formulating medicines and drugs.
Ecological uses:
Production of Oxygen: During photosynthesis, trees produce oxygen which is vital for life on earth.
Absorption of Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the forests as a raw material for photosynthesis. Thus, forest acts as a sink for carbon dioxide, thereby reducing the problem of global warming.
Wildlife habitat: Forests are the dwellings of millions of wild animals and plants. About 7 million types are found in the tropical forests alone.
Regulation of hydrological Cycle: Forest watersheds act like giant sponges, absorbing the rainfall, slowing down the runoff—absorption of solar heat during evaporation and transpiration, maintaining climatic conditions. Forests bring rainfall.
Soil Conservation: Forests bind the soil particles firmly in their roots and prevent soil erosion. They also act as windbreakers.
Pollution moderators: Forests can absorb many lethal gases and can help in keeping the air pure and in preventing noise pollution.
Aesthetic value: Forests have aesthetic value. It serves as a Gene Reserve of many species. Tribal use bamboo, grass for making huts, mats, cots, baskets for their living. Tribal use fruits, leaves, seeds, roots for food. Aromatic oils, medicines are obtained from made from forest plants.
Recreational Use: Forests attract tourists in many countries. Environmentally friendly eco-tourism provides income to the people.
Problems
Overexploitation: It is due to the increase in population, there is an increase in materials supplied by Forest resources, leading to overexploitation.
Deforestation: Deforestation means the removal of forest resources. Deforestation means the destruction of forests
Construction of Dam: Dams are built across a river to store water. These dams are responsible for the destruction of vast forest resources and displacement of local people.
Mining: Mining is the process of extracting mineral resources and fossil fuels. Because of mining, forest resources are destroyed.
Effects
A threat to life: Countless plants and animal species are endangered.
Global warming: Cutting of trees increases Carbon dioxide. Hence there is depletion of the ozone layer leading to Global warming.
Decrease in rainfall: Deforestation affects the regional and global climate change, affects the rainfall pattern.
Soil erosion: Deforestation leads to increased soil erosion and decrease in soil fertility.
Flood and Landslides: Due to soil erosion, flash floods and landslides happen in hilly areas.
Increased pollution: As trees are cut, the pollution level increases.
Submerge of forests: Construction of the dam leads to submerge of forests.
Displacement of people: Developmental projects like industries, dam, and mining, affects not only the Forests but also the tribal people living in that region.
Conservation
Forest management and conservation are based on Protection, Restoration and Afforestation.
Protection: Trees should not be cut unnecessarily. Strict laws are made by the Government and people should co-operate.
Restoration: When a tree is cut for roadways, it must be replaced by a new tree nearby.
Afforestation: Afforestation means the creation of new forest region in a barren land. Areas unfit for agriculture can be planted to create new forest cover. Trees can be planted along roads, railway tracks, playgrounds.
Use of wood for cooking should be discouraged. Alternative sources like biogas, natural gas can be used.
Nibbling of cattle in the forests should be discouraged.
Three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle should be implemented.
Learn about Corporate Sustainability in 2021 and spread awareness in your organization
In recent days, businesses and academia are doing significant discussions on “Corporate Sustainability” as a new and evolving corporate management paradigm. It is an accost aiming to create long-term stakeholder value through the employment of a business strategy that emphasises on the ethical, social, environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions of accomplishing business. Sustainable corporations are often the most state-of-the-art because they are continually reviewing existing processes to find better greener alternatives. The term is in conjunction with other terms “sustainable development” and “corporatesocialresponsibility“. Let’s see how this corporate sustainability could be related to these terms. Societal goals related to sustainable development are environmental protection, social justice and equity and economic development.
Here’s a Easy read on Paris Agreement in under 2 mins
Paris agreement is the first universal legal agreement The Paris agreement for its first time brings all nations to undertake efforts for a common cause, climate change through nationally determined contributions (NDC). Paris agreement is a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C and pursuing efforts to limit to 1.5® C.
Image courtesy: UNFCC- Thank You Statista
On April 1 2016, the United States and China, which together represent almost 40% of global emissions issued a joint statement confirming that both countries would sign the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, at COP21 in Paris, France by the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Paris agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016. As of 2019, 196 states plus the European Union (EU) have signed 183 Nations and the EU have ratified the agreement.
The Countries purpose is to fight against Climate Change and work together to keep the temperature of the planet from rising more than 3.6 degrees F above preindustrial levels. By 2020, the goal is to keep the temperature under 2.7 degrees F. The agreement by nations was meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ad use green energy sources.
Learn about Sustainable Environment in 2021. Know how to develop your company that is environmentally friendly and sustainable and the world beyond CSR.
Modernism has betrayed the environment by resource depletion and environmental degradation. Growing awareness has made us accept a new concept called “Sustainable development”.
Sustainability is not just making revenue but making the company run for years. We are entering into the period beyond a concept called “Corporate social responsibility”. It is now mandatory to follow sustainable practices beyond CSR to ensure potential outcomes for the business. Focussing on few eco-areas can make a significant change in business practices.
Sustainable practices not only mean developing the product, generating profit but protecting people and the planet.
By doing such practices, it is possible to maintain natural resources, reduce waste, develop, and adopting renewable energy, enriching biodiversity and atmospheric stability as well as economic resources.
Sustainability can be explained in three aspects: Economic sustainability, Social sustainability, Environment sustainability. All these play their role for a business. Applying the strategies will surely impart changes.
Sustainable Environment Image Courtesy: https://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au.Thank you
Learn about Three Es of Sustainability and know about the sustainability, functions about the Economics, Environment and Equity
Three Es of Sustainability
Sustainability has three significant components: Economics, Environment and Equity. Sustainability is generalised to the term “system”, where all these three components cannot be analysed one at a time. The concept of sustainability should find solutions to social inequities and environmental degradation to maintain a good economy. Sustainable development is viable only when this individual component functions appropriately. Hence, it is essential to identify the functions of the element to get reliable information for the viability of the system. Unsustainability can be easily distinguished from sustainability. Such identification helps us to take necessary policy actions to find sustainable solutions.
Sustainable economic production is earned by the conservation of natural capital.
A sustainable environment is achieved when the population and consumer demand are limited in scale.
Sustainable social equity is offered when the fundamental health, education and participatory democracy is fulfilled.
Images Courtesy: Mr Dinesh Veerappan Location: Diablo Lake, a reservoir in North Cascades, Washington State, USA
Learn about Air Quality Index in Good Environmentally Sustainability Practices in under 2 mins
It is essential to think about the air quality of the general population. Consumers should think about the consequences and the seriousness of air pollution to find a way to reduce air pollution. In metropolitan urban areas, the pollutants in the air have expanded and caused major respiratory illnesses and breathing issues in little youngsters and grown-up. The essential dangerous pollutants in the air are Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Carbon monoxide (CO), Particulate matter (PM<2.5), Particulate matter (PM<10) in air, which causes respiratory sickness, changes in aspiratory safeguard, cardio-vascular malady, disturbance in lungs, Influenza, Asthma and incessant obstructive pneumonic illness.
There are two classes of air pollutants, i.e. indoor or open-air pollutants. Indoor pollutants are Cooking and consuming forms, Volatile natural compound, Smoke, Biological substances, Formaldehyde, Asbestos, Radon. Open-air pollutants are Suspended particulate issue, Ozone (O3), ground level, Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), Lead (Pb).
To decide the wellbeing impacts that are brought about via air pollutants, the air quality index (AQI), utilised. The air quality index shows the immaculateness of air and the concentration of pollutants and the ailment related to it. Higher is the AQI esteem, the higher will be the degree of air pollution, which demonstrates more noteworthy the wellbeing concerns. AQI can be introduced in six classifications with a particular colour to each class, which react to another medical issue.
AQI computation Air quality is observed day by day to record the concentrations of the significant pollutants in various areas. This information is converted into AQI values by utilising standard equations created by the Environmental Protection Agency. AQI qualities rely upon the kind of season and time.
Learn more about Triple Bottom Line (TBL) in Good Environmentally Sustainable Practices.
The triple bottom line (TBL), a sustainability concept was coined by Elkington in 1980 who highlighted the importance of accounting for the non-market and non-financial aspects of performance in corporations, including social performance. The triple bottom line is comprised of three parts as social, environmental and financial, which forms a framework that is being adopted by industries and organisations for performance evaluation. TBL not only does the business a greater one but also recommends the organisation to focus on socio-economic issues.
TBL has 3Ps dimensions commonly called as Profit, People and Planet. In short, TBL for a business is financial return, social impact, and environmental responsibility. Interpretation of TBL in a sectoral context like development, agriculture, fisheries, industry etc. and also in a dimensional context like environmental, social, and economic at a different locality, nation, region, and global region. It is beneficial for businesses, policymakers and economic development practitioners. Triple Bottom Line ensures sustainable development by maintaining a balance between the necessity for the current generation and also preserving for future generations too. Triple bottom line and sustainability concepts have gained attraction in fields related to economic development, including business, planning, finance, and real estate.
