Rainforest Deforestation

Reading through the facts on the provided link, I was surprised about how much of it I did not know. It says that "Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation'". Every single day? That is astonishing. It seems unreal to me and hard to imagine, and totally awful! It makes me wonder why some of the facts aren't more commonly known, or if maybe they are an I'm just totally oblivious for some reason. I would think that if people knew even just a few of these facts regarding the rainforest, they may think twice about what is happening. But then again, I think there are many who don't care, or just don't want to know so then they cannot be blamed for not caring.

Here are a few of the facts that I found most interesting (I took these straight from the site provided):

-There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000.

-Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists.

-At least 3000 fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only 200 are now in use in the Western World. The Indians of the rainforest use over 2,000.

-Experts agree that by leaving the rainforests intact and harvesting it's many nuts, fruits, oil-producing plants, and medicinal plants, the rainforest has more economic value than if they were cut down to make grazing land for cattle or for timber.

-The latest statistics show that rainforest land converted to cattle operations yields the land owner $60 per acre and if timber is harvested, the land is worth $400 per acre. However, if these renewable and sustainable resources are harvested, the land will yield the land owner $2,400 per acre.

Evolution

A theory is an idea that is widely accepted and supported by a good amount of evidence. So, with this in mind, the words 'just a' don't really fit before the word 'theory'. The phrase 'evolution is just a theory' makes the concept of evolution sound like it is something that does not have a lot of evidence supporting it. It makes it sound like it is just an idea that someone came up with without a lot of research, when in fact there IS a lot of evidence to support the idea of evolution.

There are probably a few different reasons that people take offense to evolutionary concepts. When people hear the word evolution, they may just think of humans coming from monkeys and not liking the sound of that. Others may not like it because they feel it conflicts with their religious beliefs. I personally feel that the theory of evolution itself is just an explanation of the world. It seems like there are a lot of people who see it as one or the other, evolution or religion. Personally, I think you can have both. The people who look at evolution as 'just a theory' probably have not taken the time to learn about it. They may feel intimidated by it, thinking that it may prove their beliefs wrong. But, I think if everyone took the time to learn about it, rather than brushing it off, they would see how it can fit in with whatever they believe. Choosing to acknowledge evolution doesn't necessarily mean giving up your religious beliefs!