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Waste is anything that we get rid of, throw away or do not use. While some items inarguably cannot be used again, many are tossed before their time. Others are unnecessary - such as petroleum-based plastic bags, which choke the environment and kill wildlife, even though we now have access to much better alternatives.

Today, waste is a huge problem, affecting every part of our environment, from our waterways to our atmosphere, our grassy fields to our forests, our plants to our people. If we want to make an impact in the fight against waste and pollution, one of the best things we can do is ensure kids get these lessons young. Whether you're a teacher or a parent or a concerned kid yourself, here's a basic rundown of "reduce, reuse, recycle" and tips you can implement today.

Reduce

"Reduce" is not necessarily the easiest step, though you might think so. While it seems simple to just buy less, we humans can be very set in our ways, relying heavily on products to which we are loyal. To truly implement this step, it's important to cast a critical eye on what we use, and ask: What could we do better? What don't we need? What is made of a harmful substance, and can be replaced with something less harmful - or eliminated altogether?

Both grownups and kids struggle with such questions, and it takes effort to begin answering them differently. That's okay; just practice. You can begin reducing the amount of waste you produce by choosing to buy products that do not create excess waste that later has to be added to landfills. Think meat that comes in styrofoam (a type of plastic, believe it or not), or fruit and veggies that have heavy packaging around them. Choose to not buy single serve products. You can also buy products that have packaging that can be easily recycled, and stop buying bottled water altogether.

To reduce food waste, start a compost pile in the backyard. That way, instead of heading to landfill where it won't decompose for hundreds of years, food gets a second life as rich soil the following season - a great fertilizer. You can then use your garden to grow food, and avoid having to buy fruits and vegetables that come in packaging.

Since adults do most of the shopping, if you're a kid, you'll have to step up and really make your voice heard. Tell them that plastic harms land animals, marine mammals and birds, fish and plants, and that making it pollutes the air. On the other hand, if you're a grownup, spend time talking through each choice with kids and getting their opinion. No matter who you are, conversation is the key to better choices.

One final idea for reducing is to stop using plastic altogether, as well as paper, which isn't much better for the environment than plastic. Make sure you always have your reusable bags in the trunk when you go to the store with your parents. You can even start up a fundraiser for your school or church using custom reusable shopping bags with a logo of your choice!

Reuse

Instead of throwing things away that you might not use anymore, why not give them to someone else? For example, if you outgrow your clothes, you might have a younger sibling or friend that would be able to use them instead of just throwing them in the garbage. You can also reuse items like cups and plates instead of using disposables.

There exist tons of other ideas for how to reuse items as well. For instance:

Turn broken crayons into pretty candles to give to teachers, family members or just keep in your room (with adult permission, of course).

Use old jars as tea light holders for special events.

Buy reusable lunch containers and use those instead of plastic wrap or disposable baggies.

Stop throwing out old and mismatched socks, and instead make a fuzzy sock snake that you or another kid will love cuddling. (Or if you're a grownup, surprise a little one on a birthday or holiday with all their old socks turned into a lovie.)

Turn used paper into art supplies or scrap paper for making shopping lists.

Also, make sure you are "reusing" any item that still has life in it. If a toy, piece or furniture or item of clothing can be fixed, do it, and then use it again.

One of the easiest ways to reuse what we already have is to look to our bag closet. Most of us carry home bags from the grocery store several times a week. If you can replace your plastic consumption with just 6-8 reusable bags, you won't have to think about it again for a year or more. At the least, when you bring home paper or plastic bags, make sure you dry them out, fold them up and bring them back to the store with you next time.

Recycle

Sometimes, you can't find a second use for something, and that's okay. If an item truly is waste, and you can't cut that item out of your life in the first place, it's time to recycle. Think cereal boxes or beverage containers, for instance: Some of them simply don't have a better alternative, and you don't want to stop eating those things for good. That's where recycling comes in.

Below are some important facts about recycling:
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In a nutshell, recycling is when you use the raw materials from something to make something else. For instance, the glass, metal and paper from bottles, cans and cardboard can be used to make other products. When you recycle these items so that they can become new items, you help reduce the energy used to make new items as well as the raw materials we need to extract from the Earth.

Plus, you might be surprised to learn that recycled products can be used to make all kinds of things. A recycled soda bottle can be used to make lots of different plastic items like combs, toothbrushes, fleece jackets, or even recycled plastic bags and totes to support school functions or drives.

Check out the list of some of the many items that can be recycled below:

Remember, you can also recycle leaves, grass, sticks, fruit and veggie trimmings, coffee grounds, newspaper and with the right compost setup, even meat, bread and cheese. If you're curious about how to build a compost pile, and would like to get one going in your home or classroom, here's a great tutorial.

This short video is also illuminating, so you might want to watch that before you begin.

For people in the future to be safe, it is important that the planet is taken care of and the environment remain intact now. When you practice the Three Rs of Waste Management, you are doing your part to make the world a healthy and safe place to live. You can do your part by implementing as many of the above tips as possible, and reporting back to us on what worked. When you have success with the above steps, or find tips of your own, be sure to pass them along to kids and grownups alike.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Resources:

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Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Tips for Kids - ReuseThisBag.com

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Waste is anything that we get rid of, throw away or do not use. While some items inarguably cannot be used again, many are tossed before their time. Others are unnecessary - such as petroleum-based plastic bags, which choke the environment and kill wildlife, even though we now have access to much better alternatives.

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Recycling for Kids | Recycling Plastic, Glass and Paper | Recycle Symbol | Kids Academy

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The three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle | Happy Learning ♻️ ♻️ ♻️

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Amazon Forest Fire Explained! | Peekaboo Shorts | Best Learning Videos For Kids | Peekaboo Kidz

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Kids learn about solar energy and how this renewable power can help the environment. Teach students about solar cells and using the sun for heat.

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Solar energy for kids - look to the future

The creation and use of energy is one of the most important subjects for children to learn. Renewable energy sources like solar energy are increasingly important because countries economies and security are closely tied to their use of energy. Kids that learn about solar energy will be in a better position to make the right energy choices when they get older. Perhaps they might invent a new technology that will help us gain more from our daily bath of solar energy. Exploring DIY solar projects like building solar robots, solar cars and boats can also bring kids a better understanding of solar energy. Solar toys are a great way for kids to learn about the science of solar energy.

Solar Energy is everywhere

The sun gives off more energy in one second, than people have used from the beginning of time.

It is bigger than anything we can really imagine -- a million planet earths would fit inside it! It takes millions of years for the energy from the center of the sun to reach the sun's surface. And then just eight minutes for it to travel the 93 million miles to earth.

Without the sun, the earth would be freezing cold

The earth would be minus hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit, almost as cold as space. The sun produces nearly all the heat on the planet. The sun also makes the wind blow and the ocean currents flow. Its heat makes clouds, rain, snow, and all the weather on our planet, too.

Get Zapped With Solar Panels

Solar electricity is created when light from the sun is turned directly into electricity using solar panels on our houses (or businesses and schools). Collecting the sun's light and turning it into electricity is also called photovoltaics, PV for short. "Photo" means light and "voltaic" means electricity.

Kids, solar panels are all around you

Have you seen those big orange signs along the highway with flashing messages about an exit being closed or a traffic jam ahead? Guess what's on top of those signs? There are big solar panels up there. Also, little solar panels are used on solar calculators (the panel is usually the little strip across the top). More and more you can see solar panels on the rooftops of people's houses. You can even see solar panels on cars and boats!

Cars That Run On Sunlight?

Like solar-powered homes, solar cars run on energy from the sun by converting it into electricity. Solar cars use lots of solar panels to gather the sun's energy and fuel the battery that runs the car's motor.

Solar cars designers look at how spaceships, bicycles, cars, and solar panels are made in order to come up with the best design for a solar car. Solar car designers need to include lots of solar panels, so there is enough energy to power the car. The car should also be really light. Almost all solar cars ever built have been for the purpose of solar car races.

The most popular solar car race is the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Using only the sun's energy, cars from all over the world race across the continent of Australia!

How About Solar Boats?

A passenger ferry in Sydney Harbour, Australia, called the Solar Sailor, can run on wind, sun, battery, or diesel fuel, or in any combination. It uses special Solar Wing technology to capture sunlight for electricity and for wind power at the same time. The wings move automatically using a computer, tracking the sun for the best solar collection and the wind for the best sail power. If it gets really windy, the wings fold down against the solar boat. Large batteries store electricity generated by the diesel generators and collected by the solar panels. The electricity then powers the electric motors.

Solar Energy Is Cool. Why Isn't Everybody Using It?

Even though humans have been using the sun's energy for thousands of years, photovoltaic (solar-electric) technology is still very new, and sometimes it takes time for new things to catch on. And, since solar energy technology has gotten better in the last ten years, some adults don't realize that it's become as cool as it has. Even if grownups know it works well and want to try new things, it's very hard to switch to a new system once you have another system working already.

Americans are Energy Hogs

Of every 100 people on the planet, 6 live in the United States. If everything were fair and equal, we would use as much of the world's energy as we have people--6 percent. Instead, we use between 25 and 30 % of the world's energy! Each of us uses twice as much energy as the average person in England, two and-a-half times as much as the average person in Japan, and 106 times that of the average person in Bangladesh! And using too much energy isn't just bad because we're going to run out of it someday. It's also bad because it produces pollution. Per person, people in the United States produce way more "greenhouse gases" than any other people on the planet.

Wasting Energy to Make Energy

Nine of every ten tons of coal used in the United States are used for electricity generation. Here's how it works: coal is burned to heat water into steam in an electric power plant, then the steam turns a turbine that drives a generator that produces electricity. During this process, about 2/3 of the energy in the coal is used up to make electricity, or becomes waste heat, and only 1/3 winds up being delivered to users as electricity. There is no energy wasted when using solar energy.

Solar Energy for Kids - fun facts

If all the passenger vehicles in the United States were lined up bumper to bumper, they would reach from the earth to the moon and back! The amount of fuel consumed in these vehicles each year is enough to fill a swimming pool as big as a football field that is 40 miles deep!

An Impossible Dream

Energy efficiency is the amount of useful energy you get from a system. A perfect, energy-efficient machine would change all the energy put in it into useful work-an impossible dream. Converting one form of energy into another form always involves a loss of usable energy.

Your body is like a machine, and the fuel for your machine is food. Food gives you the energy to move, breathe, and think. But your body isn't very efficient at converting food into useful work. Your body is less than five percent efficient most of the time. The rest of the energy is lost as heat. You can really feel that heat when you exercise!

Don't Feed the Energy Hog

All of us use energy every day-for transportation, cooking, heating and cooling rooms, manufacturing, lighting, and entertainment. The choices we make about how we use energy - turning machines off when we're not using them or choosing to buy energy efficient appliances - impact our environment and our lives.

Energy conservation is any behavior that results in the use of less energy. Turning the lights off when you leave the room and recycling aluminum cans are both ways of conserving energy.

Energy efficiency is the use of technology that requires less energy to perform the same function. A compact fluorescent light bulb that uses less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light is an example of energy efficiency. The decision to replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent is an example of energy conservation.

I Love Recycling

Recycling means to use something again. Newspapers can be used to make new newspapers. Aluminum cans can be used to make new aluminum cans. Glass jars can be used to make new glass jars. Recycling often saves energy and natural resources through conservation.

It almost always takes less energy to make a product from recycled materials than it does to make it from new materials. Using recycled aluminum scrap to make new aluminum cans, for example, uses 95 percent less energy than making aluminum cans from bauxite ore, the raw material used to make aluminum.

Natural resources are riches provided courtesy of Mother Nature. Natural resources include land, plants, minerals, and water. By using materials more than once, we conserve natural resources. In the case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves up to 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water.

Really Smart Appliances

The coffee maker in your home can be programmed to turn itself on each morning. Your family doesn't have to turn the car around and go back home to check the iron when you are half way to the beach. The iron will shut itself off. Pretty smart, you think. Well, appliances are about to get even smarter. The next step will be to have appliances in the home communicate with one another.

Italy's Merloni Elettrodomestici will soon introduce a line of digital appliances--a refrigerator, dishwasher, and washing machine--that communicate with each other through standard electrical wiring. Each machine will monitor total power consumption in the home and cut consumption if it senses a potential circuit overload. The machines can be programmed so that their heavy energy use takes place at off-peak hours. These appliances will even be able to monitor their own status and notify a repair center via the Internet if problems develop.

Do Energy-Sucking Vampires Lurk In Your House?

You might think that vampires only come out at night or during Halloween. Well, guess what? They are everywhere, all of the time, working 24 hours a day, using energy at your house; and they are adding some 20 percent each month to the amount your family pays for energy.

Vampire energy is a type of energy used by things that consume electricity twenty-four hours a day, even when they are turned off or not being used. TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers/printers, stereos, microwaves, coffee machines, washers/dryers, rechargeable power tools, etc. are the everyday secret users of vampire energy. You think you have turned them off, but they are still running.

According to energy experts, the amount of energy used by these vampire consumers can add up quickly. Vampire energy amounts to about five percent of energy consumed in the United States and usually costs consumers more than $3 billion each year.

Put a Stake Through the Heart of the Energy Vampire

Start by unplugging appliances directly from wall outlets when not in use. Instead of turning your electronic devices off one-at-a-time, make the job easier by plugging all of your electronics into a power strip or two and "switch off" the power strip after you have finished using the item(s). (Don't worry; this will not harm your electronics.)

If you are not going to be using your computer for a while and don't want to shut it down, simply turn off your monitor. Screen savers do not reduce the amount of energy used.

Try to use natural light whenever possible during the day, turn lights off when you are not using them.

If you know someone who is planning to buy a new appliance like a refrigerator or dishwasher, make sure they look for ones that have earned the EnergyStar® --they use less energy, sometimes half as much, to perform their normal duties. Look for the energy star sticker.

Wind Creatures

DASolar - Sponsor of Michigan Solar Car

Fold-up Electric Car

Solar Powered Dirt Bike

3D Solar Energy Animation

Wind Powered Car - 126MPH

Solar Roadways - whoaa

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Solar Energy for Kids - teach your kids about solar energy and we all win

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The creation and use of energy is one of the most important subjects for children to learn. Renewable energy sources like solar energy are increasingly important because countries economies and security are closely tied to their use of energy. Kids that learn about solar energy will be in a better position to make the right energy choices when they get older.

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How do solar panels work? - Richard Komp

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Invention Of Solar House | The Dr. Binocs Show | Best Learning Video for Kids | Preschool Learning

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How wind generates electricity?

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Renewable Energy 101 | National Geographic

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Kids learn about wind energy and how this renewable power can help the environment. Teach students about turbines that generate electricity from wind.

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What is Energy? | Types of Energy: Light, Heat, Water, Electrical and Wind | Kids Academy

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How Do Wind Turbines Work? | Science for Kids

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How natural gas is made and delivered to your home

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The natural gas that heats your home or cooks your food might have come from thousands of miles away.

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Fossil fuels consist mainly of dead plants and tiny sea creatures - coal from trees, and natural gas and oil from a water-like plant called algae. Your car engine doesn't burn dinosaur bones - it burns dead algae. Oil, gas, and coal deposits are really made up of ancient muddy swamps created from these plants and tiny creatures.

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Energy | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

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lesson 1 renewable and non renewable energy

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fossil fuel

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Disadvantages

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The major source of fuel throughout the world is coal. Coal is a black or brown rock that, when burned, releases energy in the form of heat. One of coal's main uses is the...

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How coal is formed

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Coal

How we get coal
Mining the Coal

Coal miners use giant machines to remove coal from the ground. They use two methods: surface or underground mining. Many U.S. coal beds are very near the ground's surface, and about two-thirds of coal production comes from surface mines. Modern mining methods allow us to easily reach most of our coal reserves. Due to growth in surface mining and improved mining technology, the amount of coal produced by one miner in one hour has more than tripled since 1978.

Surface mining is used to produce most of the coal in the U.S. because it is less expensive than underground mining. Surface mining can be used when the coal is buried less than 200 feet underground. In surface mining, giant machines remove the top-soil and layers of rock to expose large beds of coal. Once the mining is finished, the dirt and rock are returned to the pit, the topsoil is replaced, and the area is replanted. The land can then be used for croplands, wildlife habitats, recreation, or offices or stores. Underground mining , sometimes called deep mining, is used when the coal is buried several hundred feet below the surface. Some underground mines are 1,000 feet deep. To remove coal in these underground mines, miners ride elevators down deep mine shafts where they run machines that dig out the coal.

Surface mining:

Underground mining:

Processing the Coal
After coal comes out of the ground, it typically goes on a conveyor belt to a preparation plant that is located at the mining site. The plant cleans and processes coal to remove dirt, rock, ash, sulfur, and other unwanted materials, increasing the heating value of the coal.

Copyright © 2005 ESD Bulgaria. All rights reserved.

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Coal How we get coal Mining the Coal Coal miners use giant machines to remove coal from the ground. They use two methods: surface or underground mining. Many U.S. coal beds are very near the ground's surface, and about two-thirds of coal production comes from surface mines.

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Coal is so much more than just something Santa leaves for naughty kids. Coal has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. Today, we use about 5.3 billion tons of this black stuff each year. But did you know it also takes millions of years to produce coal?

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Coal is a fossil fuel like, oil and natural gas. A fossil fuel is a natural energy resource. The Earth forms them over a hundred million years from the remains of plants or animals.

Coal is made up of the energy from plants that grew in swamps. Layers of rocks and dirt covered those plants for over a million years. The rocks and dirt produced a lot of pressure and heat. The combined result turned those plant remains into coal.

In order to get to the coal, you have to dig deep into the ground. Digging for coal is known as, mining. Miners are people who dig and gather coal. There are two major ways to mine for coal. They include,

Surface Mining
Miners can use excavators and bulldozers to dig for coal if it is less than 200 feet underground. They remove soil, and then layers of rock to expose or reveal the coal. Sometimes miners have to use dynamite to remove the tops of mountains. This makes it easier to get to the coal. After the coal is collected, the area is filled in with soil and plants and trees are re-planted. This method is cheaper and safer than underground mining.

Underground Mining
Some coal is located much farther underground. There are mines that are more than 1,000 feet deep! Miners have to take an elevator down mineshafts and then catch small trains to move through tunnels to reach the coal.

Types of Coal

There are four different types of coal. They are different because of how much heat energy they can produce. The types include,

Anthracite ? This type of coal is used to make metals. It generates the most heat out of all coal.

Bituminous ? This type makes up a large part of the coal found in America. It is around 100 to 300 million years old! It is used to produce electricity and is a key ingredient in creating iron and steel.

Subbituminous ? This coal creates less heat energy than Bituminous and is around 100 million years old.

Lignite ? This type of coal produces the lowest energy. It is a younger fossil fuel than the others. It is also flaky and moist, which doesn?t help it to burn as well.

Coal in the United States

The wonderful thing about coal is that you can use it in many different ways.

Electric Power
The majority of coal is used to generate electricity. This electricity helps to light your home and power your appliances! Power plants burn coal to create steam. That steam then moves special turbines to generate power.

Heat
There are many businesses that use coal to run their processes and factories. Paper companies for example, burn coal to create heat. Other industries like steel, use coal within their products.

Gas and Liquid
Other companies convert coal into gas or liquid and use it to make other products. The result is called, synthetic fuels or synfuels. These fuels are special. When they are burned, they do not create as much pollution.

There are many areas in America where you can find coal. However, 5 states are responsible for a large chunk of the country's mining. These states include,

1. Wyoming
2. West Virginia
3. Kentucky
4. Illinois
5. Pennsylvania

Coal ? Fast & Fun Facts

Today, coal is used in many different ways for many different reasons. The thing is, it?s actually been around forever! Did you know that coal helped to develop electricity in the 19th century? Keep reading to learn more fun facts about this ancient fuel.

Coal has been used in international trade for centuries. Even the Roman Empire traded other goods for coal!

It is the cheapest source of power fuel in the world. It?s even cheaper than petroleum and natural gas.

Over 90,000 people in the United States have jobs related to coal. These jobs include, mining, engineering, geology and more.

It carries the title of, ?Most Abundant Fossil Fuel in the World!?. There is more coal in the earth than oil and natural gas.

All four types of coal can be found and mined in Canada.

Coal and the Environment

In areas where coal is surface mined, the areas are forever changed. Since dynamite is often used, mountains, streams, and trees are destroyed. To help prevent extensive damage or pollution from entering water sources, the United States government has put strict laws into place. Mining processes need to be controlled. When the job is finished, the area must be restored as close to its original condition as possible.

Burning coal produces pollution that is harmful to both people and the environment. Over time, companies have invented different ways to reduce this problem. Clean Air acts and other government laws help to put these improvements in place.

Coal ? Pros and Cons

There are many pros and cons to using coal to generate electricity and heat. Take a look at both lists below to see these pros and cons.
PROS

Coal is cheaper than many other fossil fuels.

There is a lot of coal all over the world, and much of it is easy to mine!

Can convert to a cleaner form in liquid or gas.

CONS

Coal is a non-renewable energy source. This means that eventually it will run out.

Surface Mining destroys areas of the environment.

Burning coal releases pollutants into the air.

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Coal is a fossil fuel like, oil and natural gas. A fossil fuel is a natural energy resource. The Earth forms them over a hundred million years from the remains of plants or animals. Coal is made up of the energy from plants that grew in swamps.

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Generate Electricity

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How is Coal Formed? - Geography for Kids | Educational Videos by Mocomi

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Rainforest Deforestation and its Effects

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Climate 101: Deforestation | National Geographic

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Trees and other green plants produce oxygen, the gas needed by humans and other animals to live. When trees are cut down, less oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

Trees also capture carbon dioxide, one of the gases that contribute to a problem known as global warming. When they are burned, trees release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Erosion

Deforestation on steep mountain hillsides can lead to erosion. The land can get worn away because the trees are not there to hold the soil together. Heavy rains in such areas can wash the land down the slopes in disastrous landslides that destroy fields, homes, and human lives.

Habitat Loss

Many forests are peaceful, quiet places where people can rest or play. When trees are cut down, this recreational use of forests is lost.

Forests are home to an enormous range of living things. When an area is deforested, many plants and animals are killed. Others lose their habitats. Some types of living things become extinct because of deforestation, especially those that live in tropical rainforests. The traditional way of life for rainforest peoples can be greatly affected by deforestation.

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Deforestation is the clearing, or cutting down, of forests. The word is normally used to describe the actions of humans in removing forests from the planet, rather than...

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Deforestation is when forests are destroyed by cutting trees ( logging) and not replanting them. The most common reason is to clear the land to make farms, ranches, and cities. Trees are also cut for firewood and lumber.

Deforestation destroys the habitat of many animals, leading to their death and possible extinction. The loss is more severe in primary forests, which are forests that have yet been untouched by humans. Deforestation also releases sequestered carbon.

Restoring trees in deforested places is called reforesting.

Benefit of forests

Forests are often planted to protect against natural disasters. They also help the water cycle function properly. When forests are lost, very often the soil they protected is also lost. This loss of soil is called erosion.

Trees are also important for carbon sequestration. They are important in keeping the proper balance of oxygen (O ₂) and carbon dioxide (CO ₂) on earth. They take in carbon dioxide that humans exhale (breathe out) and release oxygen that humans inhale (breathe in).

Forests have the following functions:

regulating the water cycle

producing soil

preventing soil erosion

providing habitat for animals

providing most of our oxygen

maintaining the proper oxygen (O₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels

balancing the atmosphere

regulating the temperature

Global deforestation suddenly increased around 1852. As of 1947, the planet had 5.8 million to 6.2 million sq. mi. (15 million to 16 million km ²) of mature tropical forests (forested landscapes in tropical regions), but by 2015, it was estimated that about half of these had been destroyed. Total land coverage by tropical rainforests decreased from 14% to 6%. Much of this loss happened between 1960 and 1990. Scientists have calculated that at this rate, the extinction of such forests could happen by the mid-21st century.

Causes of deforestation

Land has other uses besides growing trees. The biggest uses of land that was once forested are for farming and ranching. Some land is also used for roads and buildings, especially in urban areas. As the population grows, people need to remove more trees. They also use the wood from the trees as lumber to make buildings and other things, or they burn the trees as firewood.

Environmental effects

Atmospheric

Further information: Deforestation and climate change

Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography.

When the trees burn or rot, the small amount of carbon that is not absorbed by the soil can return to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. Scientists believe that since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, deforestation can cause global warming. They have estimated that tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20% of world greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydrological

The water cycle is also affected by deforestation. Trees play an important part in the proper working of the water cycle.

Their canopies catch precipitation, which is then evaporated back to the atmosphere (canopy interception). Without canopy interception, the air would be drier and less precipitation would fall.

Their litter (plant material on the ground around the tree), stems, and trunks slow down surface runoff. Without these, flash flooding would be more likely.

Their roots create macropores - large pipe-like trails - in the soil that increase infiltration of water. Without these trails, water would not flow through the soil as easily.

They absorb groundwater from the soil and transpire moisture into the atmosphere. Without transpiration, the air would be drier and trees would not get the moisture they need because of the lack of precipitation.

Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planet's fresh water.

Deforestation changes normal weather patterns, creating hotter and drier weather. This results in more drought, crop failures, melting of polar ice caps, and coastal flooding.

Undisturbed forests do not have much erosion because of plant litter on the ground. Plant litter protects from surface runoff. Forestry operations also increase erosion because of the roads and mechanical equipment they use.

Deforestation in China's Loess Plateau many years ago led to soil erosion. This erosion caused valleys to open. The increase of soil in the runoff causes the Yellow River to flood and makes it yellow-colored.

Erosion is not always a consequence of deforestation. An example would be the southwestern regions of the United States. The loss of grass due to the presence of trees and other shrubbery leads to more erosion than when trees are removed.

Soils are reinforced by the presence of trees, which secure the soil by binding their roots to soil bedrock. When trees are removed on sloped lands, those lands are more likely to have a landslide.

Biodiversity

Forests support biodiversity, providing a habitat for wildlife. Forests also produce medicinal plants. Tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and about 80% of the world's known biodiversity could be found in tropical rainforests. When humans remove or destroy large areas of forest cover, the soil degrades and biodiversity is lessened. Some species of plants and animals can become extinct. Some scientists predict that more than 40% of the animal and plant species in Southeast Asia could be wiped out in the 21st century. Other scientists show data that disagree with this prediction.

Health effects

Public health context

Some scientists believe that deforestation exposes people to zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be passed from an animal to a human). Dieseases that are associated with the forest include malaria, Chagas disease (also known as American trypanosomiasis), African trypanosomiasis ( sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, the Nipah virus, Avian flu, Swine Flu, Lyme disease, HIV, and Ebola.

General overview

According to the World Economic Forum, 31% of emerging diseases are linked to deforestation. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75% of emerging diseases in humans came from animals.

In 2016, the United Nations Environment Programme published the UNEP Frontiers 2016 Report. The report shows the causes of emerging diseases:

The latest appearing diseases and their causes are listed on page 23 of the report:

Economic impact

According to the World Economic Forum, half of the global GDP depends on nature. For every dollar spent on nature restoration, there is a profit of at least 9 dollars.

People in both developed and developing countries use wood for building, wood for fuel, and wood pulp for paper. In developing countries, almost three billion people rely on wood for heating and cooking. The economy does well in the short term when trees are cut to make products, but usually, not enough trees can be planted in their place in time for more to be cut down again when they are needed. This causes the economy in the long term to suffer.

Illegal logging causes billions of dollars of losses to national economies each year. The European Union is one of the largest importers of products made from illegal deforestation.

Many countries have taken steps to control deforestation. They have begun programs that they hope will help with the problem.

Reducing emissions: The United Nations and the World Bank have begun to develop programs to reduce deforestation. Because trees take in carbon dioxide, the more trees we have, the less CO₂ will be emitted into the air. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is a program that offers money or other incentives (good consequences as a result of an action) to developing countries if they use different ways to build than using the forest's trees.

Government and private policies: In the government area, laws could be made to protect forests, making it illegal to cut trees down without special permission. Private companies could promise to use the land they own the best way they can and to buy products only from companies that do not use deforestation. The Paris Agreement is an example of this.

Land rights: Another way to conserve forests is to change the right to use the land from the public domain to the indigenous inhabitants.

Farming practices: New ways to farm are being developed to get more use out of a single piece of land rather than having to use many pieces of land for different purposes. For instance, in cyclic agriculture, cattle are grazed on farmland that is resting and rejuvenating. The cattle help the land prepare for future plantings by dropping nutrients (from their feces) into the soil.

Monitoring deforestation: Satellite images can help scientists know where on the earth they need to concentrate their efforts in fighting deforestation.

Forest management: Planning ahead by planting more trees than we think will be necessary for future generations is one way to manage our forests well. Reforestation in areas where trees have been cut is another way to manage our forests well. In the areas where "slash-and-burn" is practiced, switching to "slash-and-char" would make the soil rich and healthy for future trees.

Sustainable practices: Bamboo grows and is ready for use faster than trees. Using bamboo rather than wood for building and making products would reduce the need to cut down trees.

Forest plantations: Some places have forest plantations, which are large plots of land that have trees planted on them in an orderly way. They produce more healthy trees per acre than a natural forest.

Interesting facts about deforestation

More than half the world's tropical forests have been destroyed since the 1960s.

In 2019, the world lost an entire soccer field worth of primary rainforest every six seconds.

Forests release carbon dioxide when they are cleared or burned. About 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.

It is estimated that within 100 years, there will be no rainforests.

20% of the world's oxygen is produced in the Amazon forest.

Almost half of the world's timber and up to 70% of paper is consumed by Europe, the United States, and Japan alone.

Worldwide, more than 1.6 billion people rely on forest products for all or part of their livelihoods.

Related pages

Images for kids

In Spanish: Deforestación para niños