Earth without forests is a picture that most of humankind presently could not conceive. Forests cover much of the planet's land area. They are extremely important to humans and the natural world. However, deforestation has been consuming our forests. Deforestation brings about a lot of unexpected effects on the earth and results in many negative consequences. "If the current rate of deforestation continues, the world's rain forests will vanish within 100 years-causing unknown effects on global climate and eliminating the majority of plant and animal species on the planet," according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Deforestation increases the greenhouse effect and accelerates global warming. It also causes erosion, and the silting of lakes or rivers is caused by soil erosion. The same source claims that deforestation is very hard to be stopped because "the causes of deforestation are very complex." There are several reasons why this current trend exists.
             Deforestation occurs in many ways. People destroy or degrade forests because, for them, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs. Underlying causes include such issues as poverty, unequal land ownership, women's status, education and the explosive growth of the population. Immediate causes are often concerned with a search for land and resources, including both commercial timber and fuelwood.
             One of the main indirect causes of deforestation is poverty, particularly poverty in rural areas. Although poverty is not a "principal cause" of deforestation, it is a living condition that the majority of people in this world must endure. While greed and power can be the motivations of some groups in society that deforest, survival and the desire to escape from poverty is what drives most people. Poverty is not only the socioeconomic environment that limits people's economic options, damages health but also reduces income generating opportunit...