Visual Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric 1

Visual rhetoric is one more way of communicating the audience with complex messages in deeper sense. Visual rhetoric communicates in multiple ways at a time and leaves long lasting impression in our minds.

Main purpose of following visual rhetoric in my blog is to show audience one of the effects of deforestation.

Wildlife pleading to stop deforestation on the urban street. Adapted from www.woso.org.ru/tag/environment-ads/

Pathos is quality of literature or speech arousing a feeling of pity, sorrow or compassion. This visual rhetoric reveals one of the major points of my researched essay on deforestation. This image calls on our sense of humanity to stand up for speechless creatures that have been deprived of right to live in their natural homes. Most of us know that it is pretty hard to neglect a pleading being, to pass him/her by, unless we sometimes think that by paying attention, we might encourage laziness and dependence. However, when it comes to true homelessness, to those whose homes have been taken away by illegal methods, we feel so compassionate. Similarly, we feel compassion when we see thousands of wild life species die with starvation and hunger due to lack of dwelling place. What greed and selfishness! What a terrible thing is happening to wildlife due to deforestation!

Logos is a written text that appeals to our intellect or reasoning. The handwritten words on the piece of hard paper with marker --might be charcoal or chalk-- tells us that one of the illiterate wildlife is trying to tell us what human beings are doing every month. The written words like thousand animals are being made homeless poses questions in our mind about how long to it take to wipe them all or to alter the course. The word “Born free” appeals to the concept of biodiversity, which is to be born free and to live free in their territories.

Ethos is the quality that appeals to sense of moral competence or ethics. We know that deforestation or distraction of forestry is not morally right. The chimpanzee looking down in thoughtful manner seems hurt badly, which makes us question our sense of morality. When somebody is extremely hurt and unable to explain the feeling, it is common to be speechless and look down so that the others may think what they did wrong with the situation. This image speaks more powerfully than words for our deeper sense of morality or ethics.
Mythos is the quality that appeals to our common and shared values, beliefs, attitudes, etc. This image is asking the audience to be ready to help the homeless for continuity of life of all wildlife species.

Visual Rhetoric 2

Main purpose of following visual rhetoric in my blog is to show audience the best analogy between hurt lung and damaged rain forest of our earth due to deforestation.

Endangered Tropical rainforest illustrated as the lung of our earth. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from www.loveplantlife.com

Pathos is quality of literature or speech arousing a feeling of pity, sorrow or compassion. This image trigger in audience minds that how much serious danger going to happen for life on earth in general. It is very clear that it is impossible to live without healthy lung. One might stay few weeks without food, few days without water, but one cannot stay alive more than few minutes without oxygen. Trees are natural sources of life-giving gas-- oxygen. When somebody cuts trees he/she is killing lung cells of earth.

Logos is a written text that appeals to our intellect or reasoning. Though there is no written text on the image, the image context tells for our intellect that we need to take some action to save the planet from dying.

Ethos is the quality that appeals to sense of moral competence or ethics. Treating ill person wrongly or in the way that encourage the illness kill him/her soon is inhumane. This image challenges and tells us to put some effort to recover the hurt lung of earth- the tropical forest.

What are the Effects of Deforestation?

The effects of deforestation have reached to the extent of being a global issue and that needs urgent and permanent solutions. It took decades and hundreds of years to see the devastating effects of deforestation locally and internationally. Protocols and regulations have been signed and efforts have been made to mitigate the effects at the international level. Kyoto protocol and REDD- Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation protocol are some of them. Though deforestation is international issue, it is a primary concern for developing countries which mainly depend on the productivity of soil and better climatic conditions for their sustenance. Farmers and residents who live in developing countries where there is no strict law enforcement and regulations concerning deforestation are primary victims of deforestation. The adverse effects of deforestations are soil erosion, loss of wildlife, global warming, poverty and starvation, etc.

Soil erosion: Roots of trees hold soil particles together and the soil particles will not be easily washed away by water or wind. When trees are cleared surface of the soil will be exposed to direct rain fall and heavy wind and also the fertile top soil is wiped or washed away. When this happens season after season for decades the land not only loses its top soil it also demineralizes. These conditions lead to loss of productivity and less crop yield per season that cannot feed the families that depend mainly on the limited plot of land. Furthermore, this leads the farmers to clear forests for the sake of fertile farm land which also aggravates the deforestation and gradually this leads to desertification-the transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert in which only few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil.

In addition, due to huge mass of soil materials and silt filling up the hydroelectric dams, then there is power shortage and interruption in the supply of the electricity to the towns and cities in different parts of the world. The power shortage due to dams fill up with soil and silt affects wild range of agricultural industrial sectors and human life in so many ways.

Loss of wild life: Thousands of wildlife species are endangered to extinction due to deforestation in many different places around the world. Deforestation makes many wildlife species homeless and cuts their food supply chain. The wildlife lives and dies due to the lack of food and home. The number of indigenous wildlife is endangered and vanishes in direct proportion to rate of deforestation.


Green house effect and global warming: Trees absorb an immense amount of carbon dioxide from atmosphere for photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is one of greenhouse gases that causes greenhouse effect and leads to global warming. Global warming is leading this plant in to chaos extremely adverse climatic conditions throughout the world. In the race to fight global warming, time is of the essence. Tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions - more than all the cars, trucks, planes, boats and trains in the world combined. This devastating deforestation is not only a huge threat to our climate: it is devastating wildlife while impoverishing indigenous peoples and local communities, as well.

The average temperature of earth surface was 0.74±0.18°C during 20th century is projected to increase up to 1.1 to 6.4°C if significant efforts have not been made to change the current trend of deforestation and other environmental challenges. Forests are sinks for carbon dioxide and sources of oxygen that animals including humans depend on for continued existence. In general, without forests it is hardly possible to see life on earth. Since tropical rain forest, the lung of our planet, started diminishing in alarming manner from different corners, international effort has made to decrease the rate and seek solutions.

Endangered Tropical rainforest illustrated as the lung of our earth. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from www.loveplantlife.com

Poverty and starvation: Many countries are under the shadow of fierce poverty and starvation not only because of their low economic level but also due to disruption of nature balance. The rivers and streams those had been the source of water supply for decades and drying up. Underground water wells are not staying for long time as they had been before. Because trees and forests that retain the water are not in place. The world society undersands the extent of this danger and help developing countries to understand the economic advantage of forest.

Solutions for Deforestation:

• Change the way of living of population who live around forest areas. Most of the populations who live adjacent to natural forest zones aue under poverty. Forest are their only source for fuel supply, and their agricultural way are primitive and they only feed their family by expanding the farming area. Know-how modern method of agriculture increase the land productivity and limit farm land expansion.

• Reforestation is opposite of deforestation and restoration of forest by planting trees. Many countries made a significant leap by increasing the lands coverage by reforestation.
• The international programs for developing countries should be linked with reforestation and environmental protection. If the safety net and poverty fighting programs linked with environmental initiatives they could also pave way for long term sustainable development, environmental and natural conservation and reforestation.

• Create other economic means to generate income and have planned family life

• Government and organizational incentives: there must be strong stand to empower developing countries to maintain their natural forest and continue reforestation.

• Empower of developing countries and put law enforcement in place to protect the forest areas in different regions and countries.

• Urban plantation: urban plantation plays a significant role in air cleanness of the cities. Urban plantation prevents the cities and towns from strong winds and storms. It also gives

Separate and secure forest areas from reckless public utilization

• Licensing exporting and transportation of timber products and create awareness to end users to buy from these suppliers.

• Wise and efficient use of wood products: wasteful use of paper and wood products costs lives of trees and anything related to this in the supply end of the chain. Therefore efficient use of materials and goods made from trees ensures optimum resource utilization.

Creating awareness is half way of taking actions regarding fighting the deforestation. Let’s care for tree and share what we know for others that they may do the same and take action to protect our forests.

“A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless. “ -Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States





Work cited:

Turner, W.et.al. (2009) A force to fight global warming. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from Academic Search Complete database.

Brown, M. (2010). Limiting corrupt Incentives in a global REDD regime. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from Environment Complete database.

The Causes of Deforestation [contnued...]

In a previous post I tried to address some causes of deforestation. This is the continuation of this discussion. In addition, some of the major factors that increased deforestation in the past decades are change in market trends and corresponding demand in cash crops and forest products. This means when market demand in certain crops (for example cash crops) increase, price increase per given unit weight of cash crop and as a result the farmers increase production of cash crops. Since their agricultural method is traditional, the only way they increase yield per given season is by expanding the farm land. These farmers expand their farm land by clearing forest. The increase in price index in cash crops and timber exporting played a significant role by increasing forest clearing in different countries. For example, in developing countries the price- rise in subsistent crops per pound was cheaper than the price-rise in cash crop per pound when compared to the previous years. The higher price increment on cash crops motivated farmers to shift more of their farm lands from staple crops production to cash crops production to make use of the price-rise advantage of cash crops. In addition, due to the market trend and price index, farmers who usually contended with limited farm area for staple crops production wanted to produce more cash crops than ever before even though it isn’t their subsistent crop. Moreover they cleared forest and expanded their farm to benefit from the price index.

Furthermore, the construction of roads and highways led for clearing of forests and opened way for illegal timber producers to penetrate into dense forests and harvest forest in devastating manner.

On the road to Brazil: logging activities on Venao's illegal road 
Retrieved from http://www.fsc-watch.org/

In general causes of deforestation classified as:

1.      Agricultural expansion

Permanent cultivation for house hold and commercial purposes

Shifting cultivation cattle ranching,

Transmigration and resettling

2.      Wood extraction

Commercial timber trading, paper industry, illegal loggers

Fire wood, charcoal production

3.      Infrastructure extension

Transport (roads, railways),

Settlements

Public services (waterlines, electrical grids, etc)

4.      Other factors  

Forest fragmentation, soil quality and topography 

Biophysical drives (wildfire, hurricanes, flood, )

Social triggered events (wars, and conflicts    

Though the main causes of deforestation are those mentioned above, the driving forces underlying these are the most relevant to seek solution and tackle deforestation. For example, agricultural expansion is one of the major causes for deforestation. However, root causes for agricultural expansion are for example population density, market growth, migration, poverty, etc.

 What is the motivation of people when they unknowingly or deliberately clear forests?

Underlying factors that are feeding the above causes are:

§  Economic factors: market growth, comparative cost advantage, urbanization and industrialization, poverty

§  Demographic factors: Population density and distribution, migration

§  Technological factors: agro- technical changes, agricultural production factors,

§  Policy and institutional factors: corruption, economic policies,

§  Cultural factors: cultural values and beliefs

Can we change the current trend of our fast dying forest and protect our planet?  Yes we can. How?

I will come with some smart suggestions and solutions in my next post.

Works Cited.

Daniel, G. (2005). Deforestation in Cameroon: Immediate causes and consequences. Retrieved November 19, 2010 from the Environment Complete Database

Deas, G. (2005). The earth is crying out for its trees. New York Amsterdam News Retrieved November 19, 2010 from the Academic Search Complete Database.

                                   

Causes of Deforestation (continuned)

The main causes of deforestation are natural and man-made.

Natural incidents: Wild fire that can be caused by lightning or other human factors can destroy a lot of forest and every life in the forests in alarming speed. The damage is immeasurable and very difficult to replace, takes centuries to do so if not impossible. It costs billions of dollars to stop it and costs lives, it has complicated short term and long term costs.  Natural phenomena like tornados and volcanic eruptions cause similar damages to the natural forest and every life with in them.  Though it seems impossible to stop natural disasters, science has to find way to find solutions in the long term

 
Deforestation by wildfire

The second and major cause of deforestation is man-made.

Some of the reasons that lead people clear forest are:

Cutting down or burning forests to expand land for agriculture: Most of the people who live near the forests use the forests as the primary source of income. The number of these population highly concentrated in this regions are people who practice agrarian life style. They mostly live in very remote areas of different countries. In some countries they claim that the forest is their own property and assume that they can use it in the way they want to. In some causes it is very hard to communicate and create basic understanding between these groups of people so as to train and stop them to stop forest clearing. In addition, the forests location being in the remotest areas of the world and in developing countries that have so many socio-economic problems intensify the problem. The governments in these countries have no enough economic power to seek solutions for these and other similar problems. Furthermore, corruption and misuse of funds and budgets from international organizations end up with little outcome in this issue.

Using forests as basic source of income to live on: Cutting down forests to use as fuel and making charcoal and trading forest products as the basic means of income to live on. It is very common to see fire wood transported and traded in open market in towns by peasants from nearby villages. No one asks them how and where they brought this supply from. In most of my country it is common to see farmers leading their life mainly being dependent on the income that they get from the sale of firewood which is cut and traded by clearing forests.

Deforestation for fuel and means of income.

Clearing of forests for lumber production: lumber production clears a large number of trees at a time. Except very few certified lumber producers and traders only few run their business understanding and concerned about the effect of deforestation. Moreover, it very common to see forestry areas after massive lumber production left without substitute replenishing of trees in place. Most of the time governments do not invest the money from the sale of forestry by reforesting or replenishing the natural environment.

Lateral expansion of villages and cities: Expansion of cities and towns to forestry areas is another cause for deforestation. This is happening in every country where towns and cities expand laterally. Buildings and housing has to be designed to ensure maximum upward space utilization and stability. Whenever expansion is needed the forest cleared will not replenished as needed.

(To be continued …)
Work cited:

Acheson, J, et.al. (2008). Causes of deforestation: The Maine Case. Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Retrieved November 19,2010 fron Environment  Complete

López, R., & Galinato, G. (2005). Trade policies, economic growth, and the direct causes of deforestation. Land economics. Retrieved November 19,2010 from Environment Complete database.

Forests are living place for a range of wildlife. It is natural right for them to live and breed in their habitat. Is there any human that does have a sort of feeling when his/her home broken or damaged in anyway by somebody? We feel hurt and abused when we forced to leave our home by someone. How tragedy is to destroy living home of wildlife that is endowed to them by nature? We humans have moral to decide and do what is definitely right. However, when it comes to natural home of we neglect that they have right to maintain, stay and live in their home.

What are the Causes of Deforestation?

Deforestation is the removal of forest stands by cutting and burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or by harvesting the trees for build-ing materials or fuel. Oxidation of organic matter releases CO2 to the atmosphere, and regional and global impacts may result countries. Developing countries that are located in the green belt of the globe mainly depend on agriculture. The economy and subsistence of the population in these countries are based on the fertility and area of arable land. The agriculture is traditional and the yield per acre is very little. Moreover it is seasonal and cannot feed the targeted family up to the next season. Due to lack of awareness of family planning and many socio-economic conditions, every adult contributes to population growth regardless of resource limitations.