Eight thousand years ago, when humans didn't have an astounding affect on the world ecosystem, trees covered two fifths of the land. Since that time, the human race has burnt and chopped down half of the original forestland. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, deforestation is defined as the action or process of clearing of forests... (www.m-w.com). The act of deforestation could, in a matter of just a few decades, completely strip the earth of …showed first 75 words of 1704 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1704 total…placing the yet-to-be-discovered cure for cancer on the extinction list too. Half of the world's rainforests have already been destroyed. Rainforests conserve water, prevent drought and flooding and regulate local climates. When they are cut and burnt, a significant amount of CO2 is added to the atmosphere, contributing to the global warming, essentially the greenhouse effect. The biological diversity of these forests is amazing- and with all of this, they are still being destroyed. Why?