Humankind’s consumption habits and the continuous growth of the human population is causing a rise in the demand of forest products. This is causing worry among concerned citizens of the planet especially among environmentalists. However, their worries are justified by the negative impact of over harvesting of forest resources hence deforestation.
Deforestation is a driver of climate change and the rate of deforestation is alarming due to the rising population.However, as members of the planet,it is our responsibility to curb excesses and live sustainably.
Below are ways on living sustainably so as to help stop deforestation.
Less consumption
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year is wasted or lost. This says that of all the forest products we harvest, a significant amount is still wasted. So if we start consuming less, we’ll be contributing to lower the demand, therefore, reducing the rate of felling of trees.
Take Good Care Of Your Belongings
We all have belongings made from forest materials; our furniture, fixtures etc. Also technological devices are probably a source of deforestation too. Why? Because building cell phones, tablets, laptops, or other tech devices means minerals such as lithium, copper or nickel need to be available and were previously extracted. The extraction and the chemical separation processes to get these minerals is very polluting and likely to take down existing trees to create new mining sites.
Read also: 4 Facts to know about the state of biodiversity
Now, if we take good care of our belongings and curb the habit of buying new things you don’t really need or replace things that are still useful, we will in our individual ways help minimize the rate of harvesting forest products. The lesser the demand for forest products, the lesser the rate of deforestation.
Spread Awareness And Raise Consciousness
Spread awareness on the issues surrounding deforestation amongst your family, friends or colleagues. Teach them about the adverse consequences of deforestation and how they can play a part in avoiding the negative impact.
At the same time use your voting power and your local network and let the people in power know what type of changes you’d like to see in your neighborhood, state, country and the world at large.