According to youmatter, “Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities…deforestation has been negatively affecting natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and the climate.” There are three main causes for deforestation (listed greatest to least): agriculture (demand for more space for livestock and crops), new construction (including transportation and energy generation), and urbanization (the growth of cities as they become more populated). Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment, from threatening biodiversities to threatening food availability and even contributing to climate change. How can we stop deforestation? We can decrease the amount of deforestation happening by changing our diets (going vegetarian or vegan), educating others, and using more environmentally friendly forms of transportation. While this problem does not have an easy solution, there are ways to decrease the problems it poses and save the forests as well as our planet (“What Is Deforestation?”).

A major cause of deforestation is the need for space to grow new resources. With a rising demand for materials like palm oil, rubber, timber, and especially cocoa, more space is needed. Poor cocoa farmers are seeking to expand their farms to produce more cocoa and therefore receive a greater, more reliable income. Expanding their farm means cutting down trees to create space. This means that not only are there fewer trees but as the trees and tree trunks rot, carbon emissions are released. Washington Post writer Steven Mufson stated, “According to the Woods Hole Research Center, tropical deforestation is currently responsible for about 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.” Chocolate companies, such as Mars, have recognized that out of the 25 million tons of carbon their business releases each year, 8 million tons are from deforestation alone. While there isn’t an easy solution to this, companies can start by encouraging their farmers to use the space they have to its advantage and understand where their resources are coming from before they get to the factories (Mufson).

“Though the rate of deforestation has decreased over the past three decades, we’re losing thousands of hectares more with every passing day.” There are many causes of deforestation that many people are unaware of. Deforestation is referred to as the clearing of trees, more recently defined as the removal of trees by human-influenced activities, so there are many things we as consumers use daily that may affect our forests even if they’re thousands of miles away. Products like beef and soy are some of the largest contributors to deforestation, but even products like chocolate, biscuits, soap, and shampoo contribute to deforestation. These products are created, along with many others, with palm oil. The demand for palm oil is always increasing, so more space is needed to create more of it. “​​…Forest land equivalent to 300 football fields are being cleared every hour to make room for palm plantations.” As land is being cleared, emissions are released from the machinery used and the trees as they die. While this ongoing problem has no easy solution, a good place to start would be to observe and make changes to the types of products we purchase (Lai).