Forests and trees are the lungs of our planet. They take in carbon dioxide, clean the water, and give millions of animals a place to live.
Cutting down trees is very bad for our forests. Climate change is caused by cutting down trees, which in turn causes more trees to be cut down. Biodiversity, which is the variety of life forms in an ecosystem, is also lost when trees are cut down. Biodiversity helps ecosystems work well and gives people and other animals food and plants that clean the air we breathe.
People who live near such areas or work in the forest which is cut down can get breathing problems. Deforestation can also send a lot of soil into rivers, which can contaminate them with pesticides and other chemicals used to grow crops on top of fields. When trees are cut down, they release carbon dioxide into the air, which contributes to global warming. In fact, deforestation is responsible for about 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions around the world every year, which is more than all forms of transportation put together.

Students can help protect the environment in many ____23___. Recycling is one of them. ____24___ keeps natural resources from being overused to make things that can be made over and over again without using up any more of the materials. People who don't have jobs or can't afford to buy new things all the time can save money by buying ____25___ items. When someone doesn't want to buy something brand new, they will sell their old stuff on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for money. They will then buy something brand new with the money they made from selling their old stuff instead of the original price they paid.
Students can also cut down waste by reusing items ____26___ buying brand-new ones they will only use once. For example, they don't have to buy a new pencil case every year; they can use the one they already have. Students can just keep using an old one until it gets ____27___ out, then they can buy a new one. Students can also help reduce waste by bringing their own bags to the grocery store. This will cut down on the number of plastic bags that companies have to make every day. Plastic is extremely difficult to ____28___ and will pollute the environment. Thus, protecting the environment is not difficult if we work together.