deforestation

Question 1

land use, agriculture and what are associated with global climate change

Answer 1

deforestation

Question 2

what does deforestation involve

Answer 2

it involves the clearing of native forests, driven by the need for timber, agricultural land, urban development or mining

Question 3

what is the estimated percentage that agriculture contributes to deforestation

Answer 3

it is estimated that agriculture contributes to 80% of the deforestation that has occurred in the tropical rainforest biome

Question 4

what was the rate of deforestation in 2015-2020

Answer 4

was estimated at 10 million hectares per year

Question 5

what is the area of primary forest decreasing by

Answer 5

the area of primary forest has decreased by over 80 million hectares since 1990, even when deforestation ix down from 16 million in 1990

Question 6

what are carbon stores

Answer 6

native stores, especially old-growth forests are carbon reservoirs requesting and storing large amounts of carbon

Question 7

how much carbon does 1 tree store in its lifetime

Answer 7

1 tree=1 tonne of carbon in its lifetime

Question 8

how do other plants sequester or absorb C02 from the atmosphere

Answer 8

through a process of photosynthesis. this CO2 is then converted into organic carbon and stored in the fibres of the plant (in the roots, truck, branches, and leaves)

Question 9

why is deforestation considered a duel cause of climate change

Answer 9

both releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while also reducing the ability of ecosystems to remove it from the atmosphere

Question 10

how much global loss of tropical forests contribute to CO2

Answer 10

from 2015-2017, the global loss of tropical forests contributed about 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2 per year = 8-10% of annual human CO2 emissions

Question 11

what is biomass burning

Answer 11

forest can be burned down known as biomass burning which further releases CO2

Question 12

what is the slash-and-burn technique

Answer 12

it occurs in mostly less developed countries such as Indonesia. it involves cutting down the vegetation and then burning it

Question 13

what does an increase in CO2 cause

Answer 13

CO2 is a greenhouse gas absorbing long wave infrared radiation (heat energy) in the atmosphere and reflecting it back to earths surface, leading to climate change through a subsequent increase in sea and surface temp

Question 14

therefore how is deforestation a direct cause of global climate change

Answer 14

through a reduction in earth’s natural CO2 stores and direct release of CO2 through clearing and burning of forest

Question 15

what is albedo

Answer 15

in a forested area, vegetation cover absorbs more heat than bare soil as the surface has lower albedo (surface reflectivity)

Question 16

what does a higher albedo cause

Answer 16

this means that forested areas will have higher levels of evapotranspiration of soil and plant moisture, leading to higher levels of rainfall

Question 17

what happens when forests are cleared in relation to surface reflectivity

Answer 17

when forests are cleared, the reflectivity of the surface increases, meaning less heat is absorbed and therefore less moisture is being taken up into the atmosphere

Question 18

what is an example of the albedo effect occurring

Answer 18

for example in the Australian southwest region where extension deforestation has occurred since the 1970s a reduction in rainfall of almost 20% has been experienced