Image obtained from Kathy

DEFORESTATION Trees are very important in the global carbon cycle.  They remove CO2 from the air more then any other things.  Trees absorb CO2 through the process of photosynthesis.  An acre of forest can absorb more CO2 than an acre of cropland or grassland.  One tree can absorb about 13 pounds of CO2 a year.  An acre of forest absorbs about 2.8 tons of CO2 a year. Trees take in CO2 and give off oxygen.  When trees are burn or cut down, the carbon that was locked in their structure is release into the atmosphere as CO2. Today, since there are fewer forests they can’t absorb all the CO2 created by humans.  Everyday over 5500 acres of forests are destroyed, and over 50 million acres a year. Due to growth in population and technology, the level of CO2 in the air has increased. Planting and protecting tress will help reduce global warming.

Causes for Deforestation

Technology is responsible for massively damaging Earth’s resources.  Global warming causes business to grow because crops need warm climate to grow, but if it’s too hot then it could reduce agriculture.  In the tropical countries there are problems because of deforestation.  People have been cutting down rainforests for farming.  If deforestation of forests continue then rainforests will disappear within 100 years, causing global climate change, extinction of plants and animals on earth and unknown effects.

Source: Parks, Peggy J. Global Warming. Farmingtion Hills: Lucent Books, 2004.
The Effects of Global Warming . 12 Jan. 1996.  26 July 2006 <http://www.geocities.com/‌TimesSquare/‌1848/‌global.html>.
Juarez, Micheal. “Threat Of Climate Change.” Eco Bridge.  26 July 2006 <http://www.ecobridge.org/>.