Hi guys! Today we shall talk more about agriculture as a whole.
Agricultural expansion is one of the leading deforestation reasons, falling second to timber harvesting which accounts for 37% of the loss of the Intact Forest Landscape (IFL). During the years between 2000 to 2013, agricultural expansion made up for approximately 28% of the IFL that we have chopped down.
Did you also know that besides our oceans being carbon sinks, our forests can account for 30% of carbon emission absorption?
Well, how does this link to agricultural pollution then?
How agricultural expansion results in the exacerbation of climate change and global warming
When we burn our forests for the purpose of agricultural farming (growing of crops) or animal rearing, we are equivalently reducing our carbon sinks which is one of our key partners in helping in climate change and global warming. We are also chopping logs and burning off the stumps which remain on the land. Our burning of forests account for the second highest global carbon emitter! We are not only reducing our carbon absorbers, we are producing more carbon than we can handle!
The burning of forests also leads to these processes:
- Direct air pollution from burning forests
- Destroy ecosystems – destroy native plants and biodiversity that use forests as habitats
- Slashes biodiversity – force biodiversity to live in smaller areas, may force them to extinction
- Erodes land – lands are unable to absorb water or retain soil (soil layer was bulldozed), may exacerbate flooding, cause soil erosion or landslides that may end up in our nearby rivers (aquatic pollution)
- Spoils water supply – introduction of new sediments, nutrients, and surface runoff (such as herbicides which are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants) to water catchments. May also ruin clean groundwater for certain populations (aquatic pollution)
- Reverse carbon sinks – forests naturally absorb more carbon compared to the production of carbon due to photosynthesis, but removal of them results in lesser effective carbon absorbers [replacement plantation such as oil palm usually are less effective in being carbon sinks than that of the forests, worse if the land is used for animal rearing – produce more greenhouse gases especially cows! (Refer to #7: Enteric Fermentation)]
- Results in degradation of social toll on indigenous groups – some groups of people use forests for cultural purposes, cultural history may be damaged
The process of agricultural expansion is not really a positive thing with such negative impacts to the environment. We should always look for possible alternative solutions instead of destroying of more forests such as vertical farming, utilising existing clear land without further destruction of further forests (not only because land is scarce) or perhaps choose alternative food that comes from more environmentally friendly roots.
References:
Lindwall, C., 2019. Industrial Agricultural Pollution 101. [online] NRDC. Available at: <https://www.nrdc.org/stories/industrial-agricultural-pollution-101> [Accessed 7 July 2020].
Denchak, M., 2017. Want To Fight Climate Change? Stop Clearcutting Our Carbon Sinks.. [online] NRDC. Available at: <https://www.nrdc.org/stories/stop-clearcutting-carbon-sinks> [Accessed 19 July 2020].
Nrcan.gc.ca. 2020. Forest Carbon | Natural Resources Canada. [online] Available at: <https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/climate-change/impacts-adaptations/climate-change-impacts-forests/forest-carbon/13085> [Accessed 19 July 2020].
Rainforest Action Network, 2017. How many trees are cut down every year?. [Blog] THE UNDERSTORY, Available at: <https://www.ran.org/the-understory/how_many_trees_are_cut_down_every_year/> [Accessed 19 July 2020].
Intactforests.org. n.d. World’s Intact Forest Landscapes, 2000-2013. [online] Available at: <http://intactforests.org/world.map.html> [Accessed 19 July 2020].
