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Impacts of Deforestation on Human Wellbeing and Temperature

Indeed, things must get worse prior to them getting better. Over the past several years, the society has been not demonstrated robust commitment to ending deforestation, as cases of massive cutting down of trees have been on record (Manchego et al., 2017; Bradshaw, 2012).While governments and environmental groups have been enacting policies and promotional campaigns aimed at eliminating deforestation, societal members have demonstrated limited dedication to support such initiatives. However, recent events that have accompanied the long habit of deforestation underscore the notion that deep societal changes towards sustainability measures aimed at curbing deforestation are not likely to occur until dramatic environmental crises are experienced. The outcomes of recent studies executed on the impacts of deforestation on temperature and human wellbeing highlight the fact that society’s transformation towards embracing sustainability measures is pegged on the occurrences of adverse environmental crises (Dessie and Bredemeier, 2013; Tindan, 2013; Wolffa et al., 2018; Bradshaw, 2012). The subsequent paragraphs discuss the impact of deforestation on human wellbeing and temperature.

Deforestation impact the quality of water flowing via the water shed and changes the discharge, physical, and chemical properties of water, which in turn impacts the wellbeing of individuals who consume such water in a negative manner. In their study, Dessie and Bredemeier (2013) established that the move by farmers within the Cienda community to conserve forests was triggered by their need for sustained productivity and food security. Deforestation negatively impacts the quality of water, which in turn impacts sustained productivity and food security in a negative manner. However, the findings of showed that water originating from forested areas possess a relatively higher concentration of nutrient than that from agricultural and deforested water samples. It is unfortunate that the authors established that many people within the Cienda community were still unappreciative of the role of forest ecosystems in enhancing sustainable agricultural production and food security.

Apart from impacting water quality, deforestation has been linked with the loss of biodiversity, global warming, and soil degradation. Tindan (2013) examined the impact and causes of deforestation and inquired into the circumstances for local level sustainable management of forest.  The author considered deforestation a necessary evil owing to the long-term environmental impacts for sustainable development manifested in soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and global warming. The society’s tolerance to deforestation is attributed to its contribution to the establishment of households’ livelihoods, employment, and income along with social amenities needed for the sustenance of indigenous persons. Nevertheless, this habit largely contributes to the reduction of land cover. According to Wolffa et al. (2018), the combined impact of changes in land cover and climate exposes millions of individuals to an increased possibility of heat illness. For urban settings, the effects of heat stress on human health have primarily been quantified, especially in developed nations. Forests play a vital role when it comes to maintaining the coolness of local temperatures. In their exploration of the links between self-reported human wellbeing and health, and deforestation, Wolffa et al. (2018) established that villagers had a higher likelihood of reporting the cooling effect of forests on local temperature when they originated from villages associated with more variable or higher temperatures, and in lately fragmented or deforested landscapes. These findings underscore the fact that the villagers became cognizant of the significance of forests in ensuring cool temperatures after being subjected to the consequences of deforestation.    

Significant changes that forests are undergoing throughout the globe can modify carbon, energy, and water balance of the surface of land, which in turn affects climate. Li et al. (2016) established that forest change possess detectable effects on trends of surface temperature. The outcomes of the study executed by the authors revealed that there was a significant warming of up to 0.28 K/decade in the tropical regions’ average temperature trends.

Deforestation also impacts the wellbeing of citizens by reducing biodiversity of countries across the world. For instance, Bradshaw (2012) assert that Australia has witnessed a loss of approximately 40 percent of its forests with the residual native vegetation being highly fragmented. Currently, Australia continues to witness degradation within the mostly forested tropical north owing to the speedily expanding invasive species of weed along with altered fire regimes (Bradshaw, 2012). Therefore, in the absence of clear policies aimed at regenerating degraded forests and protecting existing tracts at a large-scale, the country risks losing a significant portion of its residual endemic biodiversity. This serves as a wakeup call for the Australian government and environmental agencies to establish forest management measures targeted at maintaining the prevailing primary forest patches and regenerating matrix regions between fragments to enlarge native habitat area, ecosystems functions, and habitat area.

In conclusion, the impending environmental crises that continuous deforestation threatens to cause and the adverse impacts of such consequences on human wellbeing and temperature are beginning to and will continue to inspire societal transformation towards sustainability. Deforestation continues to negatively impact water quality, which in turn lowers food security and sustainability. Besides, deforestation increases local temperature, which in turn comes with the threat of heat illness. Countries such as Australia are also on the verge of losing a considerable portion of their remaining endemic biodiversity. Considering these consequences of deforestation, it is time the society move with speed to embracing measures focused on eradicating deforestation.