Deforestation

            Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon Rainforest .
             The Amazon rainforest is an ecosystem that holds an extremely diverse array of plants and animals. It is located in the northern and central portion of South America, mainly in Brazil. It took thousands of years for it to become the way it is, and it stood peacefully up until last century. People began cutting it down for the economical advancement of their country, many people are still unaware of the impact this will cause. Some of the reasons deforestation occurs are population growth and logging. These reasons benefit Brazil's economy, unfortunately they are in turn devastating the earth's environment. We must stop deforestation; the rainforest is home to millions of creatures and it acts like a filter for the entire planet. .
             The biggest issue concerning deforestation in Brazil and the Amazon is an economic one. When an economically struggling country has a choice between logging a forest to sell timber for high profits and leaving the forest intact without monetary compensation, the nation usually chooses the profitable alternative. This is because immediate economic gains are more important than future environmental costs (Miller, 1987, 59). Brazilians believe that it is in their best interest to cut into the forest to provide economic support for Brazil. However, rapid deforestation is rarely in the economic interest of the country concerned. When environmentalists show their concern over the loss of the rainforest, Brazilians get annoyed. They believe the arguments for preserving the forests are a "rich man's luxury." They are mainly concerned with the country's need to improve its people's living standards and accommodate the growing population. The combination of bad policies, population growth, and poverty makes the rainforest issue a difficult problem to solve. Poor people use mainly wood as fuel, and no one really seems to care about the government regulations that restrict logging.