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Vince Roche
AP Language
12 December 2016
The Impact of Deforestation on Climate
The issue of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been lingering over the heads of
many since the early twentieth century, but this problem is far from solved. With this past June
establishing the record for the highest deforestation rates since November, 2007, the issue of
deforestation has returned to many popular news sites (Schwartzman 20). Although
deforestation is known to be a problem, many are unaware of the effect it will have on the lives
of those living around the globe. Recently, studies link deforestation to change in climate,
ensuring the urgency that is necessary to overcome this obstacle (Longobardi 1). Through the
release of carbon dioxide and decrease in rainfall, deforestation in Brazil impacts both regional
and global climate in a devastating manor, destroying the lives of those whose lives rely on
agriculture.
One of the most drastic ways that deforestation directly affects climate change is through
the release of carbon dioxide. As trees take in carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen, they keep
some carbon in their system to help them grow. As forests are cleared, these trees will release
the carbon as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, making the process responsible for about 10
percent of all global warming emissions (Tropical Deforestation and Global Warming 1).
Because the Amazon is such a vital part of the carbon cycle, its destruction will result in a
disastrous effect on ecosystems around the world, and will completely throw off the delicate
balance of carbon dioxide levels that is so difficult to maintain (Deforestation: facing facts).

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Additionally, the release of carbon dioxide is directly linked to the phenomenon of global
warming. Although controversial, this topic is widely accepted by many noted scientists and
threat of its existence should be reason enough to act on preventing it. As carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gasses absorb the suns energy and heat up the earth, the risk of a waterworld
increases as the ice caps melt and sea levels rise. Furthermore, an increase in average
temperature around the globe could dramatically influence the foundation of ecosystems, turning
tundras into forests and destroying coral reefs altogether (Strickland and Grabianowski 2). The
Amazon rainforest is a key player in slowing the process of global warming, absorbing
approximately two-billion tons of carbon dioxide a year (Visser 2). Without the Amazon, carbon
dioxide levels, along with the average global temperature, would continue to rise at an even
faster pace. Therefore, clearing large amounts of the Amazon rainforest will cause carbon
dioxide levels to skyrocket and, in turn, contribute to the ever-growing phenomenon of global
warming, influencing and destroying many ecosystems at a time.
By the same token, deforestation is has an influence on climate change through the lack
of rainfall that it provokes. Nearly all plant life undergoes transpiration, in which plants absorb
water through their roots and release water vapor through their leaves. The previously
mentioned increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevents transpiration, resulting in less
rainfall in Brazil and other areas with high levels of carbon dioxide (Longobardi 1).
Additionally, tree leaves provide a spot for water vapor to reside and collect, allowing it to
eventually fall down as rain. Without the leaves to collect the water, it must collect on small
specs of dust in the air making the climate warmer, drier, and less predictable. (CLIMATE
CHANGE, DAMS, DEFORESTATION VICIOUS CYCLE FOR AMAZON RIVERS, LAKES
2) The Indian eGov Newswire reports that deforestation is delaying the onset of the rainy

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season in a region of the Amazon at a rate of six days per decade. As a result of the lack of
rainfall, the rich biodiversity in the Amazon may become scarce, not to mention the many
habitats that are destroyed by the act of deforestation alone. More importantly, however, the lack
of rainfall has a desolating effect on agriculture and local farms in Brazil.
In addition to its impact on the entire world, one must also recognize the significance of
climate change in Brazil, and the influence it has on those living there. In Karnika Bahugunas
article, she interviews a specialist at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment,
Bengaluru. In this article, Bengaluru notes that tribal communities in the Amazon typically use
122 plant species, and now they use only 88 species and the remaining 34 are becoming rare.
Not only this, but around 12 herbaceous species which were a major source of leafy
vegetables, have become rare due to climate change. Deforestation has rid tribes like these of
their valuable sources of food and medicine, as well as many other communities in Brazil that
rely on the Amazon rainforest to provide for them (Karnika Bahuguna 1). Climate changeinduced droughts also act as an obstacle that native tribes, as well as the country as a whole, must
overcome. These droughts can kill trees and lead to wildfires, continuing to perpetuate the cycle
of drought (climate change, dams,... 1). Furthermore, Rhett Butler notes that if current rates of
warming and deforestation continue, the forest could become a savannah, having a drastic impact
on the economy of Brazil. As droughts leave land less fertile, plant life is less likely to grow
back. Soy, being a primary export of Brazil, as well as other goods and resources, will become
harder to cultivate as a result of the barren land (Butler 1). Overall, clearing large amounts of the
Amazon rainforest will result in less rainfall, inflicting those native to Brazil with failed crops
and intense droughts.

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Things need to change. It is imperative that we, as a society, are aware that deforestation
in Brazil has a destructive impact on the global climate, as well as that of Brazil. An estimated
3000 square miles of rainforest have been lost to lucrative, illegal logging, the clearing of
Amazonian land without legal permission (Visser 2). Allowing this to happen prevents the
government from tracking how much land has been lost to deforestation and how much can be
lost without doing any major damage. Moreover, the extreme farming of soy, beef, lumber, and
other major exports from Brazil is a major culprit for deforestation. Freshly cleared lands will
become primary forests again in approximately 100 years. However, often times cleared land is
used for agriculture, stripping the soil of its nutrients and preventing future plant growth in that
area (Allaby). In order to stop climate change induced by deforestation, there must be harsher
laws implemented on illegal logging and an effort to preserve forests from the over farming of
Brazils exports. For example, in 2006, soy was given a moratorium for new forest clearing to
prevent more permanent damage (Butler 2). Deforestation in Brazil is not a regional issue, its
effects are present in our daily lives, and failure to recognize so only perpetuates the destruction
of the environment and our Earth.
Ultimately, the issue of deforestation in Brazil is being forgotten. As new world
problems arise, the topic of deforestation fades away to make room for more urgent and
immediate ones. When researching for this project, it was difficult to find articles from the past
six months, indicating that this worldwide problem has become uninteresting to the general
public, and that many have already forgotten the state of our rainforests. Continued behavior like
this is the mindset that will transform the Amazon into a savannah. Although Brazil is a world
leader in cutting pollution of greenhouse gases, deforestation of the Amazon is still one of the
world's most destructive influences on climate change (Schwartzman 23). Overall, it is

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imperative that the world be reminded of the influence that deforestation in Brazil has on the
lives of each and every one of us. If we let discussion of this topic die, we let the future of our
planet die with it.

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Works Cited
"Deforestation: facing facts." International Water Power & Dam Construction, May 2016, p.
42+. General OneFile, Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.
Allaby, Michael. Tropical Forests. Vol.7. Danbury, CT: Groiler Educational, 1999. Print. Biomes
of the World
Butler, Rhett. The Amazon Rainforest: The Worlds Largest Rainforest. Mongabay. N.p., 23
Jan.2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
"CLIMATE CHANGE, DAMS, DEFORESTATION VICIOUS CYCLE FOR AMAZON
RIVERS, LAKES." Indian eGov Newswire, 1 Mar. 2016. Infotrac Newsstand, Accessed
4 Dec. 2016.
Jonathan Strickland & Ed Grabianowski "How Global Warming Works" 21 April 2005.
HowStuffWorks.com. 4 December 2016
Longobardi, Patrick, et al. "Deforestation Induced Climate Change: Effects of Spatial Scale."
PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 4, 2016. Academic OneFile, Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.
Schwartzman, Steve. "Deforestation in Brazil - another roller-coaster story in a nation of
contrasts." US Official News, 6 Aug. 2016. Infotrac Newsstand, Accessed 4 Dec. 2016.
Tropical Deforestation and Global Warming. Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d Web. 30
Nov. 2016.
Visser, Nick. Deforestation Rates Skyrocket in Brazil as Country Struggles to Save the
Amazon. The Huffington Post. HuffPostNews, 01 Dec. 2016 Web. 01 Dec. 2016

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