When we talk about environmental damage, there are many things that pop up into mind. These can be climate change, fossil fuels, pollution, and more. One such thing that is one of the main causes of environmental damage is deforestation. As the name suggests, deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Throughout history, forests have been cleared to make space for agriculture, construction, or obtain wood for materials. 

Although obtaining this resource can be beneficial for humans, it is harmful to the earth. Some might know that trees can take in carbon dioxide from the air to help with the biological process of photosynthesis. Thus, when these trees are removed, it can result in higher emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Additionally, when trees are burned, it can also result in higher levels of carbon dioxide. With fewer trees around the world due to deforestation, this greenhouse gas gathers in the atmosphere, heavily inducing global warming. 

Furthermore, deforestation does not only affect climate change, but also individual species. When forests are razed, it can affect biodiversity. Since forests contain many various species, including plants and animals, clearing their habitat can result in the danger of extinction for some species. Additionally, soil is more prone to erosion when trees are absent. This causes plants in those areas to become vulnerable to fire as erosion causes the forest to become dry. 

All in all, deforestation can have many negative effects, and two important ones are climate change and biodiversity.

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/deforestation