Explain links between economic development and destruction of forests Essay

Explain links between economic development and destruction of forests in the Third World. Explain how development can be designed to protect forests. Describe - Essay Example The research on the ecological situation of the world clearly shows that the largest and most significant causes of pollution are the industrial and commercial activities of humans. These activities are taking place at an accelerating rate in countries which are seeking to develop themselves into economic powers such as India and China. Whenever fossil fuels are used to drive automobiles, run industries or provide energy to offices and homes, a significant amount of harmful gasses are created which are released into the atmosphere. While a certain amount of atmospheric pollution can be controlled and nature has the magnificent ability to manage excess carbon dioxide (CO2), the present rate of creation of these compounds in developing countries is simply too much for nature to handle (Quammen, 1998). The deforestation of the world is certainly adding to the problem since different locations around the world in LDCs and MDCs are suffering from humans encroaching on forest regions. As India develops into the back office of the world, its Gir forest is being destroyed to make room for mango farms, peanut groves and lime quarries for the cement that is to be used in multistory offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. The UN reports that the rate of deforestation has only increased in the world since 15.4 million hectares per annum are being taken away from our forests. In South America alone, every year 6.2 million hectares of forest land is destroyed to make room for the population (Quammen, 1998). The situation has come to a point where 95% of the forest land of Brazil is gone and 92% of the forests of the Philippines are gone. Costa Rica was a country known for its biodiversity but she has also lost more than 90% of her forests. If the situation continues as it has in the past, by the middle of the present century, there would be no forests left in these developing countries except in