Preview

Green Belt Movement

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1039 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Green Belt Movement
Reducing Deforestation

Abstract
The Green Belt Movement was established in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai. The movement was enacted to plant enough trees and raise awareness regarding tropical deforestation. Although she was persecuted for her efforts to protect Kenya’s forest, she continued to fight the forest “give-aways” by planting trees and other nonviolent actions . The movement discovered that the survival of the forests is dependent upon how well they are cared for; it is also dependent on how well the government protects them from being destroyed. This paper will discuss the Green Belt Movement and the awareness it brought to the society and several way to use the forest in a sustainable manner.

Reducing Deforestation
Wangari Maathai is the first Kenyan woman to earn a PhD and to govern an academic department at the University of Nairobi. Dr. Maathai is also the founder of the Green Belt Movement that was founded in 1977. This movement was established after Dr. Maathai discovered that people in her homeland were suffering from malnutrition, lack of water for hydration, andlack of trees for firewood which is used for cooking. In addition, the lack of forest cover dried up many rivers, which destroyed the land’s ability to absorb the rain. The Green Belt Movement is a responsible movement that took accountability for the effects of deforestation on Kenya. Although this movement was developed in an effort plant enough trees for the area and raise awareness regarding tropical deforestation, Dr. Maathai realized that her vision would not be successful if the local people neglected to take care of the trees and if the government did not enlighten its people that the environment is an everyday issue.
Dr. Wangari Maathai experienced many trials and tribulations for her project before she became her countries’ hero. She was persecuted for her efforts to protect Kenya’s forest, because the government officials liked to give away land and public



References: "The Green Belt Movement." The Green Belt Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. Tropical Deforestation : Feature Articles. (n.d.). NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update5.php World Resources Institute. (n.d.). 4. Have forests been sustainably managed?. sustainable procurementof wood and paper-based products. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.sustainableforestprods.org/node/ Butler, R. (n.d.). Saving Rainforests Through Sustainable Use of Forest Products. Rainforests: facts, figures, news, and pictures. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1003.htm "I will be a hummingbird" - Wangari Maathai - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGMW6YWjMxw&feature=player_embedded A Voice for Trees, by Wangari Maathai - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFvv9f9u-vY&feature=player_embedded Wangari Maathai Talks about the Mottainai Campaign - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMw-fP_GRP8&feature=player_embedded Wangari Maathai and the Billion Tree Campaign - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uWVtP72LYc&feature=player_embedded Reference cont. Wangari Maathai on Holistic Development - YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjRAIpKJDDs&feature=player_embedded

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    APES Ch 10 review

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Q)The Green Belt Movement is a movement that organizes poor women in rural Kenya to plant and protect millions of trees in order to combat deforestation.…

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 38 M2

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Over the years Greenpeace has targeted some of the worlds largest drivers of deforestation such as the palm oil industry in Indonesia and Malaysia, also the soy and casttle industries in the Brazilian Amazon. These are a prime example of successful Greenpeace campaigns. For example;…

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    DBQ on Green Revolution

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Interaction between humans and the environment has always had a great importance in the development of humankind; according to Marx, what differentiates humans from other animals is the fact that humans can transform their surroundings to suit their needs, through labor. The Green Revolution is not the exception to that. In times of need the human being manipulated its environment to be suitable for its development, however, the question lingers, how efficient was it, how positive? The Green Revolution, from 1945 to the present, was motivated by the need to increase the production of food to supply for the increasing demand as population grew, to promote national self-sustainability in terms of food. However, during that period the effect of the Revolution have been detrimental to the environment and society: they have damaged agricultural diversity and heritage, damaged the lands, and put at risk food security; also, they have widened the gap between the very rich and the very poor, monopolizing the food industry.…

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ: The Green Revolution

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although the Green Revolution was started to end world hunger and the disparity in developing countries, it caused other consequences which included population growth and changes in genetic diversity of certain plants and cultural lifestyles. This revolution introduced the use of new technology and many scientifically altered crops to the world. With the rise in food supply, the population increased and some countries weren’t as starving as before. But with the advancement in technology and crop varieties, the environment and some societies suffered.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The researches that formed and became the Green Revolution changed the agricultural technologies of many places and peoples. The Green Revolution was an introduction of a new technology of scientifically bred crops that went worldwide. In 1945 the Green Revolution started as leaders addressed the issues of hunger and starvation with the Green Revolution as the solution, and although it helped many people at the time, the Green Revolution is debated today whether it environmentally crushed many societies or was a worldwide helpful event.…

    • 954 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Green Revolution Dbq

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Green Revolution was the world’s introduction to modern agricultural and a time of vast improvements in the world’s fight against hunger. New technologies such as High Yield Variety seeds, chemical fertilizer, and agricultural machinery led this revolution and are still a big part of the way we produce food for the world today. The Green Revolution was a savior do many small developing countries throughout the world that barely made enough food to survive and one bad harvest could destroy an entire village. Food is now mass produced throughout the fields of the world and distributed on the world market to countries in need and to already developed countries whose people will pay for foreign and exotic food. The Green Revolution has one enemy; the reproductive rate of the human species is exceeding the rate at which we can make food to feed it.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main idea of the article is the affect of deforestation on the environment, wildlife and climate change. Deforestation results in soil deterioration. Forests store nutrients that are required for all plant life. Without trees to fill these roles, many forest’s lands can quickly become barren deserts. Deforestation also impacts the habitat for million species. Majority of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. Deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly dry out. Trees also help conserve the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Cutting down forests will cause a decline in photosynthetic activity which results in the…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is said, that forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet (WWF). Reducing the number of trees and the surface area of a forest is called deforestation. Deforestation is one of the biggest problems in today’s economic system. There may be a lot of positives behind the idea of cutting down trees; however they are all outnumbered by the negatives. If one is not careful with the removal of a forest, it may lead to more deserted areas.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The landscape in Kenya is beautiful, filled with amazing colours. The wildlife has this incredible way of communicating that is fascinating to watch. It's the beginning of summer. The grass is so lush and green, the lakes are filled with crystal clear water and there is an array of wonderful animals. It's as though you're in a perfect world where nothing goes wrong and you never want to close your eyes, but you do close your eyes and you do realise that this beautiful country is suffering from starvation, malnutrition, poverty and racism. You sometimes wonder how it could be possible when you see how joyful and appreciative Kenyan people are.…

    • 769 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Amazon Rainforest, located in the northern part of South America, is the largest rainforest on Earth, containing more than 60% of Earth’s fresh water, over 20% of oxygen on Earth, and huge amounts of carbon dioxide (ACEER). However, the Amazon Rainforest has been deforested principally in order to provide land for the locals who were homeless due to poverty, overpopulation, and government policies. Also, economic reasons such as providing land for cattle ranches, agriculture, logging, and mining (Maczulak) increased the rate of deforestation. In fact, since 1988, over 141,470 square miles of the Amazon Rainforest have been deforested (INPE). The imprudent use of the resources and land of the Amazon Rainforest is destroying the…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    India, which has found more efficient sources of food after their infamous Bengal Famine, has been one of the first countries to take an initiative in the green revolution. By using genetics to create HYVs, or High Yield Value seeds, they have been able to claim foreign acclaim and produce crops with increased viability.…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Rainforest Concern - Why Are They Being Destroyed?" Rainforest Concern - Welcome to Rainforest Concern. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Privatization of Forests

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Forests have essential economic and ecological benefits within themselves. They offer opportunities to extract wood, wood products and ecotourism among others. These commercial products and opportunities come side by side with employment prospects and…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    An estimated 13 million surface of forests were lost each year between 2000 and 2010 due to deforestation. In tropical rainforests particularly, deforestation continues to be an urgent environmental issue that jeopardizes people’s livelihoods, threatens species, and intensifies global warming. Forests make a vital contribution to humanity, but their full potential will only be realized if we halt…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this section, it was suggested that deforestation occurring in Ghana is leading to the expansions of savannahs. I believe that this is an important section, as many do not realize that many African countries are also suffering from deforestation, which is depleting the lands, creating more savannahs and deserts. This section gave me further knowledge on the crisis of deforestation in Ghana and how it affects the people that live there. It explains how the soil is becoming depleted, which in the long term, will greatly effect the people living in these…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays