Deforestation is a major issue. We are cutting down trees like never before. Sadly, we are not replacing the forests that we are cutting down. Deforestation is creating an enormous problem. We need trees for survival. Some people do not realize the seriousness of deforestation. Trees make it possible to grow food, and they also protect the topsoil from losing valuable nutrients. Countries that have not adequately addressed the deforestation problem are placing their people in harm’s way. Furthermore, deforestation contributes to global warming. Deforested lands have little protection from landslides. Haiti is suffering because of extreme deforestation. According to Wikipedia, this country only has 2% of the land forested. This country is in great danger and needs help. Financial assistance and educational resources would improve the deforestation problem in Haiti. This is a satellite picture of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Here you can clearly see the severe deforestation present in Haiti. Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia I would also like to add that Haiti is not the only country facing a serious deforestation dilemma. According to TreeHugger.com, Honduras, Nigeria, The Philippines, Benin, Ghana, Indonesia, Nepal, North Korea, and Ecuador are all going to experience severe deforestation problems in the near future. It’s also a global issue because the forest levels are dropping in the United States, Russia, Europe, and China. Something must be done to solve the root causes of this problem. One of the ways we can combat deforestation is through recycling. We can also implement other cooking technologies like the rocket stove. This invention reduces the amount of wood needed to cook meals. The Rocket Stove is a lean, green cooking machine! This is a rocket stove.

Photo courtesy of treehugger.com The Rocket Stove, invented by Dr. Larry Winiarski, has become very popular among environmentalists around the world. It is simple to use, and it lessens the need to cut down trees for you can use small twigs or branches in the rocket stove. There are many different styles of rocket stoves. Some are metal, cast iron, and brick. In addition, we can also use waste paper products to make biomass briquettes to use instead of relying on wood from trees. We can save millions of trees and slow down the effect of deforestation if we recycle. Unfortunately, most paper waste is still going into the landfills. If we work towards slowing down the process of deforestation, we can turn things around. Let’s work together and make our world green again. Biomass Briquettes made from recycled paper and sawdust. Photo Courtesy of treehugger.com Here’s picture of East African Women making biomass briquettes.