Question

deforestation is the clearing or removal of forest land for use by humans for other purposes. deforestation is common in areas that are used to raise cattle and grow crops. which set of information describes the best way humans could reduce this impact on the environment?
proposal: reduce the consumption of meat and dairy products.
explanation: this proposal would increase the amount of trash placed in landfills every year.
proposal: make new products by recycling the parts of trees that are removed. explanation: this proposal would decrease the amount of trash placed in landfills every year.
proposal: reduce the consumption of meat and dairy products. explanation: this proposal would increase the amount of forest land used for cattle and crops.
proposal: make new products by recycling parts of the trees that are removed. explanation: this proposal would decrease the amount of forest land used for cattle and crops.

Explanation:

Let’s analyze each option:

• Option 1: Reducing meat and dairy consumption would not increase landfill trash. Also, it doesn’t directly address deforestation related to cattle and crop - land use.
• Option 2: Recycling tree parts to make new products can decrease trash in landfills. But it doesn’t address the root cause of deforestation (using land for cattle and crops).
• Option 3: Reducing meat and dairy consumption would decrease the need for land to raise cattle (since less demand for meat means less cattle to raise, and thus less land needed for pastures). However, the explanation in this option is wrong as it says the opposite (increase land use).
• Option 4: Making new products by recycling tree parts doesn’t directly reduce deforestation. But if we assume that by recycling, we can use less new wood (and thus less need to clear land for tree - farming for wood products). But the best way is to reduce the consumption of products (like meat and dairy) that drive deforestation. However, among the given options, if we consider the logic of the explanations:
• For the proposal “Make new products by recycling the parts of trees that are removed”: If we recycle tree parts, we can use less new raw material from trees. This can potentially decrease the pressure to clear more forest land (even if it's a secondary effect compared to reducing meat/dairy consumption). And the explanation “This proposal would decrease the amount of forest land used for cattle and crops” is incorrect. But if we consider the first part (recycling tree parts), it's a more relevant action to address deforestation (even if the explanation has an error). If we assume that the intended logic is that recycling tree parts reduces the need for new tree - based raw materials (and thus less deforestation for tree - related industries, which is a part of the overall deforestation picture).

Answer:

Proposal: Make new products by recycling the parts of trees that are removed. Explanation: This proposal would decrease the amount of forest land used for cattle and crops.