Deforestation Releases CO2 into the Air

Deforestation is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Trees and other plants remove carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. Both the decay and burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. Read more.

Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface.Because of deforestation, they now cover 6%. Vietnam lost 51% of its forest between 2000 and 2005 due to deforestation. Nigeria lost 54% of its forest between 2000 and 2005. Many tropical countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, Laos, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and the Cote d'lvoire have lost large areas of their rainforest. 90% of the forests of the Philippine archipelago have been cut. In 1960 Central America still had 4/5 of its original forest; now it is left with only 2/5 of it. Madagascar has lost 95% of its rainforests. Atlantic coast of Brazil has lost 90-95% of its Mata Atlântica rainforest. Half of the Brazilian state of Rondonia's 24.3 million hectares have been destroyed or severely degraded in recent years. As of 2007, less than 1% of Haiti's forests remain, causing many to call Haiti a Caribbean desert.[7] Between 1990 and 2005, the Nigeria lost a staggering 79% of its old-growth forests.[8] Several countries, notably the Philippines, Thailand and India have declared their deforestation a national emergency.[9][10]