{"id":2620,"date":"2022-04-21T21:55:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T21:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2620"},"modified":"2022-07-08T08:53:55","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T08:53:55","slug":"the-deforestation-carbon-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/the-deforestation-carbon-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deforestation Carbon Cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"
Deforestation is the permanent removal of forests in order to convert the land for other purposes. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> The carbon cycle is the transfer of carbon between different reservoirs on Earth.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> It is instrumental in maintaining a stable climate and carbon balance.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> So, how does deforestation affect the carbon cycle?<\/span><\/p>\n Our planet has a closed system of carbon. This means that the total amount of carbon never changes. However, the state and reservoir in which it is stored are in perpetual flux.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Most of our carbon is stored in rocks, minerals, and sediment beneath the planet\u2019s surface.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> The rest exists in the ocean, atmosphere, plants, soil, and fossil fuels.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Carbon moves from one reservoir to another through various processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, burning fossil fuels, such as petroleum, coal or natural gas, releases large quantities of stored carbon. Combustion converts it to CO2, and in this gaseous form, it enters the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/span><\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> <\/span>As a consequence of human activities, the atmospheric level of CO2 is higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trees and plants capture CO2 from the atmosphere to make food through photosynthesis.<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> They sequester the carbon in their biomass or the surrounding soil. When trees are cut down and the wood is burned or left to rot, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as CO2.<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming by trapping heat.<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> In this way, deforestation accounts for at least 10 per cent<\/a> of all anthropogenic emissions.<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Deforestation facilitates one part of the carbon cycle, increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere. It also prevents forests from absorbing any further carbon by destroying the trees. It, therefore, inhibits this aspect of the cycle and leads to increased levels of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Reducing deforestation would curtail this process and give the remaining trees a chance to redress the imbalance by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\nThe carbon cycle<\/h2>\n
How does deforestation affect the carbon cycle?<\/h2>\n
Can reducing deforestation prevent climate change?<\/h2>\n