The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
In 1960, what percentage of Indonesias’s landscape was covered with tropical rainforest?
80%
The demand for what products has lead to deforestation in Indonesia?
Paper, pulp, plywood and palm oil
What is endangered by high levels of deforestation in Indonesia?
Species and disrupting the lives of indigenous people
How much of Indonesias rainforest cover still remain?
Just under half
How much rainforest is cleared each year in Indonesia?
More than a million hectares
Why are the rainforests in Indonesia a carbon source rather than a carbon sink?
Now they are exposed, the peatlands are easily eroded by wind and rain - increase rates of decomposition of organic matter - release of carbon into air as CO2
What commercial purpose is to blame for the burning of Indonesias rainforests?
Grow and sell palm oil
Where does Indonesia rank in terms of the worst greenhouse gas emitters?
Third - behind USA and China
When did Indonesia experience particularly severe forest fires?
1997-98
How many hectares of land were burnt during the forest fires of Indonesia?
8 million hectares
Scientists believe that the extra carbon these fires pumped into the atmosphere was more than what?
All the carbon that living things on earth remove from the atmosphere in one year
