Environmental Impact
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Overdevelopment has had a tremendous negative impact upon the environment, destroying countless ecosystems and species. Every year, the expansion of the urban sprawl and the deforestation of trees for commercial use, cattle ranches, and farmland results in immense negative effects on the environment.
Wildlife
Wildlife
Thousands of animal species have been rendered endangered by overdevelopment, including the California Tiger Salamander, mountain gorillas, the Javan rhinoceros, and others. Some species have even been brought to extinction, such as the black bear of Maryland. Endangered species are especially prevalent in heavily deforested areas in South America and Asia. Over the past several decades, the biodiversity of animal life on the planet has decreased significantly, in part caused by the recent boom in development. Acres and acres of forest once home to an array of species become outlet malls or barren land, stripped for the logging business. Over 70% of the world's plant and animal species find their homes in forests, unfortunately making them more susceptible to endangerment. A study done in 2001 by the NWF shows that urban sprawl is the main cause of species imperilment.
Not only does development threaten plant and animal species, but it has detrimental effects on our ozone layer, speeding up what's known as the greenhouse effect. Gases in the atmosphere surrounding our planet entrap some heat radiation (longer wavelengths), but allow some (shorter wavelengths) to pass through. However, development and deforestation can allow more greenhouse gases to be emitted to the atmosphere, which entraps more heat, encouraging global warming. Plants naturally take in some greenhouse gases, but extensive deforestation has allowed these gases, such as CO2, to enter the atmosphere, speeding climate change. The Environmental Defense Fund states that between 2000 and 2009 deforestation took over 32 million acres of rainforest. At the rate trees are being felled, climate change will continue to increase at a dangerous speed.