The world is facing a drastic crisis right now where ecosystems are failing, wildlife extinction rates have hit the ceiling and climate change activists are going out of their way to save it all. During all this, the Mumbai government decided to cut 2,702 trees to build a metro 3-car shed in Aarey colony. This decision has left the country furious and the BMC received over 82,0900 objections to this proposal by the Mumbai Metrorail Corporation Limited.?
Deforestation/ tree felling leads to serious consequences which can and will irreversibly damage the environment. Here are some facts about the same.
Trees are our main source of oxygen and on an average, a tree produces almost 120 kilograms of oxygen per year. Cutting down more than two thousand trees is going to heavily impact the oxygen levels of the areas surrounding the Aarey colony. The people will lose out on almost 16 lakh kilograms of oxygen per year and will be at risk for dire respiratory health issues.
Absence of trees leads to a tremendous rise in air pollution levels which pose a serious threat to the residents of the city. Breathing problems like asthma are a common occurrence in cities which lack trees and young children are at the highest risk of developing these problems.
Wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate due to deforestation and the planet cannot afford to have another species added to its list of extinct animals. Felling of trees rids animals of their habitats and takes away their only source of food.
Felling of trees leads to extreme soil erosion and that leads to an increase in desert areas. Desert areas are on a significant rise and this will interfere with the earth’s natural vegetation.
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The ozone layer is the earth's guard against harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun and is made up of mass of oxygen or O3 atoms. Oxygen reacts with carbon monoxide and an increase in the latter will interfere with the layer's stability. Carbon monoxide particles going up in the atmosphere will lead to a decline in oxygen.?
Trees play a vital role in preventing global warming. Trees control greenhouse gases from infiltrating the environment but deforestation leads to the complete opposite and is a hazard to this planet.
Trees provide water-filtering since their roots help in maintaining ground stability. Lack of trees ruins the local water system and the increase in soil erosion contaminates the groundwater. This further interferes with the availability of water which can be used for several purposes.
If the impact of taking such a harmful step is something the whole world is aware of, why is the planet still suffering? The world does not need another crisis. We already are in one.