Deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect primarily because it releases stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Here's a breakdown:
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The Role of Forests: Under normal circumstances, forests play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This helps regulate the Earth's climate.
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Deforestation's Impact: When forests are cut down or burned, the stored carbon in the trees and vegetation is released back into the atmosphere as CO2. This significantly increases greenhouse gas concentrations. According to the provided reference, "Plants absorb excess carbon dioxide under normal conditions, and when forests are burned or cut down, the accumulated carbon dioxide is released. Thus deforestation causes greenhouse gases to increase immensely."
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Reduced Carbon Sink: Deforestation also reduces the number of trees available to absorb future CO2 emissions, further exacerbating the greenhouse effect.
In summary, the primary way deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect is by releasing stored carbon dioxide when trees are destroyed, while simultaneously reducing the Earth's capacity to absorb future CO2 emissions.
