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Concept
Deforestation and climate change
Summary
Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change, and climate change affects forests.
Land use changes, especially in the form of deforestation, are the second largest anthropogenic source of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, after fossil fuel combustion. Greenhouse gases are emitted during combustion of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon. Global models and national greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions. , deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are accelerating. Growing forests are a carbon sink with additional potential to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Some of the effects of climate change, such as more wildfires, insect outbreaks, invasive species, and storms are factors that increase deforestation.
Deforestation comes in many forms: wildfire, agricultural clearcutting, livestock ranching, and logging for timber, among others. Forests cover 31% of the land area on Earth and annually 75,700 square kilometers (18.7 million acres) of the forest is lost. According to the World Resources Institute, there was a 12% increase in the loss of primary tropical forests from 2019 to 2020. Mass deforestation continues to threaten a variety of forests, their biodiversity, and the ecosystems they provide. The main area of concern of deforestation is in tropical rain forests since they are home to the majority of the planet's biodiversity. The loss of forests due to deforestation also has significant implications for global biodiversity, as it leads to the extinction of numerous plant and animal species that are unique to these ecosystems, further exacerbating the ongoing global biodiversity crisis. According to a pan-tropical study published in March 2023, tropical deforestation has led to a significant decrease in the amount of observed precipitation. By the year 2100, researchers anticipate that deforestation in the Congo will diminish regional precipitation levels by up to 8-10%.
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