Global climate change is occurring due to the infusion of man-made greenhouse gases which is disrupting the global carbon cycle. The most prevalent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (C02), emitted predominantly by burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The earth’s forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and deforestation is a direct contributor to climate change. Trees retain CO2 and emit oxygen. The world’s trees contain billions of tons of carbon which is released when they are cut down. Further, fewer trees will process less CO2 and produces less oxygen. Forests are also essential to maintaining a stable water cycle. Climate change will continue to disrupt rainfall patterns causing areas to become increasingly arid. Trees absorb rain and release water vapor back into the atmosphere. Fewer trees are and will continue to increase the size and number of desert regions. Deforestation is also a major direct threat to large numbers of animals and plants. Forests affects every living thing on earth. Deforestation is a setting off a chain of devastating events.
Millions of square miles of forests are lost annually. Land is cleared for agricultural and industrial use while the trees become lumber. Rainforests generate 40 percent of the world’s oxygen. One acre produces enough oxygen to sustain eight people and eliminates nearly 200 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere. Trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store this carbon in a process termed ‘carbon sequestration.’ For the past century or so, much more CO2 has been pumped into the air than has been absorbed naturally by trees. Deforestation diminishes the CO2 absorption part of this cycle, further escalating the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This has resulted in higher global temperatures (Curley 2017).
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Dense forests act as a massive canopy. Sunlight is absorbed from above, enabling the photosynthesis process while the land below stays cool. Moisture is held in the soil and transmitted, along with nutrients, up the trees. Leaves release water vapor back into the atmosphere, a process called ‘transpiration.’ Each leaf releases more than their weight in water every day. Deforestation leaves the land bare and, without trees, unable to reflect heat which adds to the effects of climate change. Trees retain large quantities of water within their roots. When trees are removed the amount of groundwater is greatly lessened which alters the water cycle of the forest. Trees, their leaves and the vast vegetation undergrowth slows the speed of rainfall while the tree’s roots help hold the water in place. Following deforestation, rainfall leads to flooding and topsoil erosion. The land becomes infertile and soon an arid desert replaces a plush forest (Curley 2017).
Deforestation increases the effects of climate change and poses a grave threat to the animals of the forests. About 80 percent of the world’s animal species live in forests. Deforestation greatly increases a species chances to become extinct. Every type of animal plays an essential part of the food chain. The lessening of species diversity makes a significant impact on humans’ ability to survive. Species that took millions of years to evolve are being wiped out, a fact which, alone, is regrettable, but the ramifications go right up the food chain to humans. Additionally, plants of the rainforest provide medicines which offer cures for several diseases are being lost forever.
Forests perform a critical role managing the carbon and water cycle which mitigates the effects of human produced CO2. Deforestation hinders this function, worsens the effects of climate change and eliminates entire species of plants and animals. Widespread reforestation efforts are not a cure-all for climate change. Humans are putting more CO2 into the atmosphere than forests could ever hope to sequester. However, reforestation would reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and increase water cycling while restoring animal habitats. Encouraging a plant-based diet would lessen the need to clear land for livestock. Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change which is the most important issue of our lifetime. Unfortunately. it is not a major issue for politicians or the news media.
- Curley, Jeri. (May 2018). How Does Deforestation Affect the Air? Sciencing. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/deforestation-affect-air-10632.html
