Reference no: EM133674186

Question

Sugarcane farming has had an alarming impact on the environment. Sugarcane requires high quantities of water for growth, so it thrives in areas that are at lower risk for water scarcity. At least 15 countries devote 25% or more of their land to sugarcane farming (WWF, n.d.). The countries that are responsible for the majority of sugarcane production like Brazil, are more environmentally impacted. The Atlantic Forest in Brazil has been reduced to just 7% of its original size due to deforestation for sugarcane farming (WWF, n.d.). Another environmental impact includes industrial waste production. Sugar mills are not only releasing toxic pollutants into the air during processing, but emissions are leaked into the soil and groundwater that impact aquatic life. Habitat loss from deforestation and pollution has led to an estimation of thousands, even millions of animal deaths from sugarcane farming (Gutierrez, 2022). The increasing use of sugarcane in ethanol as a sustainable fuel is also increasing the market for sugarcane. However, despite the intention of lowering carbon emissions with ethanol use, deforestation.