The rise in deforestation and the number of endangered species has become a world-wide problem. In recent years, the environment has been impacted greatly with many endangered habitats are diminishing. Due to increasing temperatures as a result of climate change, the Arctic is melting, causing rising sea levels and loss of habitat for land animals. Another issue is pollution, which is damaging the environment and ecosystems that many organisms depend on.   

Much of the damage to rainforests has been caused by logging. Logging is a very large issue, as the demand for paper or other wood-based products is constantly increasing, resulting in more deforestation. Another big cause is the demand for farmland or other farm-related products. The beef industry being the largest cause of deforestation in the farm related productions. About 80% of the deforestation is from cattle ranching according to rainforestpartnership.org.Since farmland is becoming increasingly less accessible, companies have resorted to deforestation for new farmland, destroying and uprooting animal habitats. Some of the companies that benefit the most from deforestation include Nutella, Walmart and BlackRock. 22 frog species went extinct in 2020, a very large number of them forest frogs. Many other species are critically endangered such as the spotted leopard or the orangutan. 

Another issue that can affect the whole world is the melting of the Arctic. Temperatures have been increasing at a rapid rate due to global warming, causing much of the Arctic to melt, destroying habitats of organisms and diminishing food sources. Many Arctic residents, such as polar bears, are endangered and in order to save them, it is essential to prevent global warming from further destroying their ecosystem. 

Pollution is seriously affecting large bodies of water as well as the marine ecosystems that depend on them. Much of the trash discarded by the average American citizen ends up in the oceans, releasing toxic pollutants and exposing marine organisms to plastic materials and harmful objects. Animals such as beavers are affected by man-made dams that block their water sources or make it impossible for them to make homes. Wild tuna and other fish are affected by overfishing or non-sustainable fishing. Almost all of the endangered animal problems are caused by humans, so it is important to take initiative and try to save the environment while there is still time left!