The Japanese attack had several major aims. First, it intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference.
<span>Logging ranks among the top causes of deforestation in Central and South America, especially because of the high demand for timber in countries importing from the region. In fact, between 1990 and 2010, South America lost about 8.7% of its forest cover, and over 80% of Latin America's tropical species have been lost just within the past 40 years. For the second human factor affecting the environment of Central and South America, according to the World Bank, more than 70% of water used in Central and South America empties back into rivers in the region without undergoing any form of treatment. This implies that industrial and sewage waste flow back into rivers, lakes, dams, and other water sources. This is so endemic in the region that every one in eight people there doesn't have access to clean drinking water.</span>
